Forever's A Long Time, But I'll Wait
by quiteinfamous
Summary: Mark now lives in LA having to get away from having his heart broken. Callie's come to mend it but finds it isn't as easy as she'd like. Other characters include Addison Montgomery and other characters from Private Practice. Rated M after a bit.
1. Chapter 1

Forever's a Long Time, But I'll Wait.

It was completely silent except for his slow, painful exhales of breath. He sat in his office at Oceanside Wellness, at his desk, his head buried in his hands, his elbows digging into his thighs. Frustration and anger weighed on his shoulders. Surgery had its risks so anyone who would have one electively were either mocking the gods or possessed a great deal of luck. It was a routine surgery, simple silicone implants into the buttocks, only to have her respiratory system fail halfway through. She was 22 years old. He played it over and over in his mind. Every precaution taken, every attempt to bring her back failing. He had lost her. "I'm getting good at that," he thought to himself.

Addison sat on the couch across from him, her auburn hair still tied up in a bun, her mouth twisted into a wistful frown. Sam, Naomi, Violet, Cooper and Pete stood outside, peering through the window, Charlotte having left to return to the hospital. They had all taken turns to comfort him. Things like this happen. He knew that and if the last six months hadn't been absolute hell for him he would have been more easily able to accept it. Addison knew that, so for a while she said nothing. He was hurting, had been hurting for a while. He had come to LA to escape a shattered heart, bringing with him nothing but clothes to last a week and his wallet which held a few hundred dollars. He tossed his cell during his trip after Derek continued to call, begging him to reconsider. But Derek had a wife, he had the family and friends. He didn't need him there in Seattle. Shepherd would be just fine, unlike his best friend that came to the city in search of a family and thinking he had found it only for it all to dissolve in front of him.

"Have you tried calling her?"

He dropped his hands from his head and glanced up at her before returning his eyes back to the floor.

"You should call her, Mark."

"And why is that?"

"I think it'd help," she answered, knowing that it would in fact help.

She'd known Mark a number of years and had, in all that time, never seen him like this. Defeated. He was one to always bounce back, take the punch and come back up swinging. If he wanted something, he'd go after it and was relentless, making sure to cover all his bases before either gathering his prize or accepting his losses. He came to her, his spirit broken, buoyed only by the reconnection of old friends like herself, Naomi and Sam. The others embraced him too, which was unusual as they weren't usually receptive to newcomers but Mark had always been able to fit in anywhere. She only began to worry when he made no move to hit on his new coworkers nor a single nurse at the hospital.

"She didn't want me, Addison. I don't see how being reminded of that would help anything at all."

To that she had no reply. His blue eyes looked at her as if somehow the next thing she said would heal the wounds, but she remained silent, nothing in her eyes but emphatic sorrow.

"Everyone's going out for drinks," she finally said. "How about we join them?"

* * *

><p>Mark only stayed for a couple of rounds. He liked his new friends but Charlotte and Cooper's dueling would only entertain him for so long. He walked barefoot through his single story beach house, his hardwood floors creaking as he passed through the living room, which was still relatively unfurnished save for a couch and coffee table, and entered his kitchen to head to the refrigerator to retrieve a beer. He sat at his bar, tossing the cap onto the granite before taking a sip. He rubbed at his beard, in need of a trim and downed another gulp.<p>

Flashes played in his mind of his patient, young and vibrant with even a bit of a sense of humor. It was her brown eyes that haunted him. She had a brave front but her eyes exposed the bit of insecurity that led her to want the surgery in the first place. She reminded him so much of...

He finished the bottle in attempt to halt the thought, but it came anyway and with it the memory of that night.

_"I don't know, Cal. Maybe she's just not the one for you."_

_ They were in his old Seattle apartment, one they had shared when he allowed her to move in after being callously dumped at the airport. She moved about, stuffing her things in a suitcase. _

_ "I mean she just came back. You really think you should move back in with her? Isn't there some things you both need to work through?"_

_ "Yeah. I mean, of course. But we can do that a lot easier if we're together."_

_ He continued to watch her as she gathered this and that, a solid lump in his throat. The past two months had been bliss and now she was slipping again. She held up an old t-shirt. He smiled imagining it on her. He liked whenever she wore his clothes, down to his striped green boxers, which was his favorite on her._

_ "You don't want this, do you?" She asked, her brown eyes playful. "I think my boobs stretched it out anyway. You should just let me have it."_

_ He smiled as he shook his head. She was incorrigible. "No, I don't want it. You can have it." She could have everything if she wanted. _

_ Her grin widened into a smile as she raced over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek before dodging into the bathroom to gather her toiletry. He continued to stand, watching her, the beat of his heart increasing as every second passed. She was making a mistake and he couldn't figure out just how to get her to see it. She reemerged from bathroom arms full of everything she felt she needed to look beautiful. He had liked her best in the mornings, when not a single one of them were applied. She poured them carelessly in the suitcase, fidgeting with the zipper to get it closed. _

_ "Ok. That's everything. And I guess if it isn't, you're only a hallway away."_

_ He simply nodded. He tried to swallow, but the lump wouldn't bulge._

_ "Well, say something, Mark."_

_ "What?"_

_ "It's what you do. I attempt to do something with the heart and you say kick ass encouraging words to usher me along. Walk tall. Get yourself back out there. You know, that sort of thing." _

_ It was then that he could see it. She wasn't sure herself that going back was the right thing. In wore in her eyes. The lump disappeared in that moment and he walked up to her, his eyes pleading with hers. _

_ "Don't do it, Callie."_

_ She was taken aback, her eyes blinking as her lips evened out across her face. _

_ "What?"_

_ "She's not the one for you, Callie. She dumped you in the airport and flew to Africa without looking back once."_

_ "She came back, Mark."_

_ "She shouldn't have had to come back. You guys don't even want the same things and I just know that she's going to hurt you again."_

_ She took a step back away from him, confused and disappointed with his words. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. _

_ "So what should I do? I should just give up and be alone for the rest of my life?"_

_ "No!"_

_ "Then why are you doing this? I really just need you to be my friend right now. Tell me that everything will be fine. That it's all going to work out."_

_ "You want me to lie? I won't do that. It won't be fine if you go back to her."_

_ He tried to close the gap between them but Callie continued to keep the distance, walking around him as her anger grew. She couldn't believe what he was saying to her. _

_ "Look, I can see that she loves you. But that isn't enough. She makes you... different."_

_ "How so?"_

_ "She- I don't know, you're not allowed to be as fun."_

_ "So I'm boring?"_

_ "No." He was becoming flustered, the coolness in her eyes slicing him bit by bit. "She just - you're not quite yourself when you're with her. She tries to make you into what she wants you to be."_

_ "A good person?"_

_ "You were already a good person, Callie."_

_ It was her turn to swallow, only her mouth had become dry as her head began to spin. He was just trying to be a good friend, she reasoned. Her last breakup was nasty and he's just being protective. But when she looked back up at him the look in his eyes contradicted her theory. _

_ "If it's a mistake," she began, "I want to know instead of wondering what could have been. I've never had someone come back for me. That has to mean something."_

_ "But you don't deserve someone that comes back. You deserves someone who stays."_

_ The words were sweet and she knew without a doubt that he only meant well for her. For that she was grateful. Her shoulders lowered, her guard along with it, only to be knocked completely off balance by his next words. _

_ "Like me. I love you, Cal. I could make you so happy and I want everything you want. I'd never hurt you that way." His voice was low but emphatic. His blue eyes glassy as he looked at her. "__**Stay with me**__."_

Of course she didn't. Instead she chalked his words up to just a lonely friend who had began having romantic feelings after they had lived so closely together. But he knew his heart which is why he couldn't and wouldn't stick around to watch the eventual fallout.

A second beer was finished before he noticed several text messages flashing over his new cell. All from Addison and Naomi and the others checking up on him. Sam's offered to come by for another round. They were a good group. Cooky and a little neurotic, but good. LA had been a good move. Nothing like having the ocean in your back yard.

A knock on his door made him rise from his seat at the bar and trot back to his living room. Sam was always dropping by and he enjoyed their little sessions of recalling med school. And unlike Addison, their conversations remained light, allowing laughter at times when he wanted to break.

He inhaled sharply when he opened the door, his breath remaining in his lungs instead of releasing. She stood on the other side, eyes swimming with regret. The light from the moon making her glow in the night. She bit at the corner of her bottom lip before releasing it, the light breeze sweeping her black locks away from her face. She was breathtaking and he struggled breathe, blinking several times to make sure the illusion before him remained.

"Hi, Mark."


	2. Chapter 2

The initial shock of seeing her faded quickly, replaced by feelings of pain and anger. He had given them a year, that it only took half that in no way surprised him. They sat in his kitchen, at the bar. She moved the beer bottle he had given her between her fingers, sliding it across the granite watching as he took large gulps of his before tossing it into the garbage, already filled with several. He stood, walking over to the sink to wash his hands before turning back toward her with his back leaned against the counter.

"How are you?" She couldn't think of anything else to say. They had spent the past twenty minutes staring at each other, his anger apparent on his face but he was too kind to close the door in her face. Instead he left it opened as he retreated back into his new home, leaving her to follow if she dared.

"I'm great." His voice was clipped, his eye contact direct. He was lying but she let it go.

"I've tried to call you."

"I didn't really have anything else to say to you."

At least the honesty was back, even if it was brutal. She nodded, glancing down at her drink before taking a small sip and placing it back down. He rubbed at his beard as her eyes scanned over him. He was thinner, wearing a black sweater and dark blue jeans that hung a little loosely on him. She wanted to say something else but she couldn't figure out where to begin.

"Mark -"

"Look, Torres, it's late. I have an early surgery in the morning and I should really head to bed."

"Oh."

"You can stay in the guest room if you want. Pillows and things are in the closet at the end of the hall."

He spoke matter of factly, his eyes going to a suitcase she had brought in with her.

"I assume you haven't checked into a hotel."

"No, I haven't. Thank you."

Mark nodded, pulling himself from the counter and exiting the kitchen. No other words exchanged.

* * *

><p>Addison tapped her slender fingers impatiently against her desk, glancing up at her clock on the wall. She finally stood, walking around her desk and out into the main lobby. The receptionist, a young blond named Alice finished a call, scribbling down notes on a post it. She smiled up at Addison.<p>

"I haven't heard anything, Dr. Montgomery."

"She should be here by now."

The young receptionist shrugged her shoulders with a smile, her eyes catching the elevator.

"Is that her?"

Addison twirled around in her four inch heels, her face lighting up like a kid with a new toy.

"Callie!" She called, running up to the raven haired beauty who turned in circles unsure of where she was at.

Her head snapped in Addison's direction, a toothy smile spreading across her face.

"Addison!"

The old friends embraced, arms still entangled as they pulled back to look at each other. Addison tugged at a strand of Callie's hair.

"Oh my God, look at you. You look so good!"

Callie mimicked the gesture, running her fingers through Addison's flame colored hair. "No, you look good!"

Cooper and Violet stood outside their offices, curious eyes on the new stranger that had Addison squealing like a school girl.

"Who's that?" Cooper asked.

"I don't know." Violet answered.

"She's hot."

Violet rolled her eyes, retreating back into her office. "I won't tell Charlotte you said that."

"What?" He questioned like a little boy who had been caught, following behind her.

"So...did you sleep with him?"

They were in Addison's office, a few hours later, lunch brought in from a new restaurant Addison wanted to try called, Besitos, spread all over her desk. Callie sat across from her, her fork stabbing at her salad.

"What?"

"I'm not judging or anything. But you two do have a history of...ya know."

Addison tilted her head down to gaze at her friend over invisible glasses.

"Did you?" Callie asked again, for some reason really needing an answer.

"No. I have not slept with Mark." She watched as her younger friend's shoulders dropped, a piece of salad finally making it into her mouth. "In fact, Mark hasn't slept with anyone that he'd have to see the next day."

"What does that mean?"

"It means a string of one night stands with nameless women. The last thing he's looking for is a relationship."

She flinched when she saw Callie wince at the last words.

"How did things go last night?"

"It was awkward. And tense. And uncomfortable..." Callie trailed off.

Her friend gave her a sympathetic pout. "He's letting you stay with him, that's something."

"Yeah, but I don't know if that was just a one night thing or... I woke up this morning and he was gone. I'm pretty sure we exchanged five words last night."

Addison leaned back in her chair, a sigh escaping her.

"It wasn't a good day for him yesterday."

Callie's eyes narrowed in question.

"He lost a patient. 22 years old."

The raven haired surgeon let out a breath. "I didn't know that."

"You couldn't have."

A moment of silence passed before a light tap came to the door.

"Addison, can I have a consult - Hey!"

"Naomi, you remember Callie right? I think you two met a couple of years ago in Seattle."

Callie stood to greet her.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. What are you doing here? Decided it was time for a visit?"

"I um -" Callie glanced back at Addison for help only to find her friend twisting her mouth as she scratched her head.

"She, she's-" she cleared her throat as Naomi watched Addison awkwardly get her thoughts together. "She's...Mark. She's Mark." She gave up with flick of hand, leaning forward in her chair.

Callie turned back to Naomi to see if she had picked up on any of that. She had.

"Ohhhhhh. You're...Ohhh. Gotcha. Girl what did you do to him?"

Callie inhaled, pulling her lips between her teeth, her eyes finding a new fascination with the ceiling.

"Cancel my next consult! Cancel all my appointments not related to the ears, throat or nose!"

Sloan's voice boomed as he stumped through the center, a slam of the door ringing loudly. The three surgeons looked up, glancing toward the expansive window.

"What was that about?" Naomi asked turning back to them.

Addison frowned with a shake of her head. She began to stand, halting halfway when Charlotte, trailed by Sam still in scrubs entered.

"He lost another one." Charlotte stated, her twang lingering on the word 'another'.

"You're kidding?" Naomi spoken with furrowed brows, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Sam.

"It was your standard Lipoplasty." Sam informed them. "Respiratory failure, again."

"How likely is that to have back to back deaths with respiratory failure?"Addison questioned, finally standing.

"We checked the equipment, went over the procedure. The first girl was perfectly healthy. Just some twisted coincidence." Charlotte offered.

The group stood together, letting the information run through their heads.

"So," Charlotte finally said, breaking the silence. "Who are you?"

The southern blond peered at Callie.

"Oh, this is Callie," Addison introduced, walking around her desk. "She my old friend from Seattle."

"The orthopedic surgeon." Sam chimed in, extending his hand.

"That'll be me."

"So what brings you to LA?"

* * *

><p>It was decided that Mark didn't need everyone hovering over him, that he needed his space. Addison and Naomi encouraged Callie to go to him if only to be an ear. She found him in his living room, sitting on the edge of the sofa. A large bottle of scotch sat on the coffee table with a glass, a quarter of the way full. He sat there unmoving until he felt the urge to finish the shot and pour himself another one. He turned his head slightly when he heard the creaking of the wooden floors.<p>

"What'd you two fight over this time?" He spat the words, slamming the glass back down onto the table. "Hmm? What'd you two fight about?"

She stopped mid step. Maybe she should wait until morning.

"Mark-"

"Just go back, Callie. Everything'll be fine. You two are meant for each other."

The malice behind the statement wasn't lost on her.

"That's what you want to hear, right? That's all I'm good to you for."

She continued her short walk into the room, standing over him as he eyed his glass.

"I'm sorry about your patient."

"I don't want to talk about my patient. I wanna talk about why you're here."

"I made a mistake," her voice was low. She looked down at him waiting for him to look up at her but his eyes stayed fixed on his glass. "I made a really, really horrible mistake and you'll never know how sorry I am that I hurt you."

He poured another shot.

"I change my mind." he said before gulping it.

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about why you're here. I actually don't give a damn about why you're here, so you can leave now."

"I'm not leaving."

At that he found himself laughing, twisting his torso to look up at her. He turned away attempting to take another drink before suddenly tossing it across the room, the glass shattering against the wall. Callie jumped, her brown eyes watching as the amber liquid slid down the wall onto the floor. He stood, walking around the table, pacing back and forth.

"I get that you're angry. I'm trying to make it right."

"The hell you are! Would you even be here if everything were still sunshine and rainbows with Robbins? Huh! You did this."

"You didn't have to leave, Mark."

His pacing stopped. His blue eyes baring into her with incredulous irony.

"I wasn't the one who left, Torres." He walked up to her, his liquored breath sweeping across her face. "You left. I asked you to stay. I begged you to stay."

She felt slightly intimidated, but she didn't back away, seeing hints of something old in his eyes. Something that always warmed her when he looked at her. It was clouded with loss and rage, but enough remained.

"I'm sorry."

"Leave."

"I'm not leaving."

She watched as he disappeared down the hall, stumbling slightly in his tipsy state. Doors were slammed before he reemerged, her suitcase in hand.

"What are you doing?"

"I am so sick of being the person you come to when everything falls apart. I am not your security blanket. I am not your safety net. I'm done."

The suitcase fell with a loud thud beside the front door.

"Mark, please don't do this."

She tried her best not to shake under the weight of his tantrum, silently begging herself not to cry. But she felt the tears sting before they burst onto her blushing cheeks.

"Get out!"

"No!"

His strides toward her were long and quick, his hand gripping around her wrist to pull her across the room.

"I'm not leaving!"

Her determination couldn't match his strength. She tried to tug herself free but she felt herself clumsily tumble forward. She would have fallen had his bruising hold not have been so tight.

"Mark please!"

The front door was swung open before she could say another word. He wasn't hearing her, consumed with emotions that made him want to hurt something or someone. He pushed her out, tossing her suitcase so that it landed a dozen feet away.

"Mark!"

The front door answered her in reply, locks turning into place. She banged on it anyway, screaming for him to answer it.

"Please, don't do this! Mark, please open the door. Please!"

She wailed, her hands forming into fist as she continued to bang. Mark leaned against it on the other side, tears of his own falling as his heart broke more than he thought was possible. But he was done. He was never the first choice. Addison, Lexi, Callie, they never made him the first choice and he was done. Callie's hands grew tired, her palms pressed flat against it.

"Mark?"

She waited for a reply. There was none.


	3. Chapter 3

He put himself to bed hours ago, the effects of the scotch wearing off. The sun would be bidding it's hello in just a little while but he remained wide awake though his body sluggishly craved unconsciousness. He could still smell her. She lingered in the hairs below his nose. Or maybe it was on his skin. Or in his blood. In any case she had latched herself onto him and for so many years he liked it, craved it even. A simple smile she'd flash and he'd feel like superman the entire day, zooming about saving lives and fixing them. Slowly he was becoming undone, starting on the night she shut the door on him.

He padded his way through the kitchen thinking a snack would help his sleep deprivation. He bit into a large red apple while balancing a glass to pour water into. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was. He poured another, mixing the sip with the bits of apple in his mouth. He continued to eat the apple as he walked in the living room. He looked over the shattered glass he had yet to clean up and the alcohol that remained. He couldn't remember doing it. He thought for sure that a stranger had inhabited him for those few drunken minutes. The flash of fear in her eyes made a sudden pang in his stomach. He ran to the bathroom quickly, vomit spewing after having barely making it to the toilet. He wiped his mouth, breaking heavily as he leaned against the counter. After a moment he stood, taking out his mouthwash from under sink and taking a swing. The liquid burned as it swooshed around before being spit out into the sink. He lifted his head, catching the reflection of himself in the mirror. "What'd I do?" he asked himself. "What'd I do?"

The shards of glass were swept up into a dustpan, the dried scotched scrubbed clean off the walls. He tossed the wet cloths and glass into the trash, pulling the trash bag from the bin. The air was cold as he stepped out but he was quick to toss the bag in the trash can. He was turning back to head back inside when a glint of something caught his eye. He squinted, walking back toward whatever it was.

She stood there, her mouth quivering as her body shook, wearing nothing but the sleeveless blouse and slacks from earlier. The moonlight hit the metal of her suitcase at an angle, making it glow as she stood beside it. Her arms were wrapped around her, her knees slightly bent as she rocked back and forth. Guilt swelled over him instantly. Callie Torres had never appeared more fragile.

He approached her slowly, a sinking feeling causing him to want to throw up all over again.

"Callie?"

He could hear the chattering of her teeth as her mouth moved, words he couldn't quite understand spilling out.

"Callie, what are you doing?" Genuine concern was in his voice as he watched her battle with herself, willing herself not to break.

"I'm not leaving." The words were muffled as tears spilled from her eyes. "I'm not leaving," she repeated.

The three words repeated from her mouth over and over between gasps of breath and shivers up the spine. He wasn't sure if she even knew that he stood before her.

"Cal? You're okay, Cal. You're okay."

His hands stretched out to her, hesitant to make contact only because he thought she'd crumble under his touch. His hands hovered over her shoulders before they finally grabbed her. She was freezing.

"I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving."

"Oh, Cal!" he cried out. He never wanted this.

Her eyes finally made contact with his, short, brisk inhales interrupting her chant. She fell into his embrace, her body continuing to shiver violently as he lifted her into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mark."

He shushed her as he carried her back to the house, her hair sweeping across his face. He wanted to kick himself as he went.

"I'm sorry."

"Shhhh. You're okay. I gotcha." It was the role he was born to play, her savior. He was fooling himself to think otherwise. "I gotcha."

* * *

><p>The sun made it's way up shortly after. He watched as the light filtered through the window, spreading across her sleeping form. She lay in his bed, clad in his old sweat pants and t-shirt. He stood, leaning against the doorpost, no sleep afforded to him. The sound of her cell vibrating stole his attention. It was a bit early for phone calls. He grabbed her slacks that hung over the end the bedpost, pulling the device free. A couple of missed calls, three voice mail messages and a text message from Cristina Yang that read: 'Blondie's practically harassing me, Torres. Running out of excuses.' His eyebrows dipped slightly in confusion. During their other breakups, Robbins practically made a show of not talking about or inquiring about Callie. Why was she harassing Yang? Was she ready to reconcile? A wave of jealousy passed over him. He shook it off.<p>

The light dimmed on the phone so he placed it down on his nightstand beside her. It wasn't really any of his business anyway, though that didn't stop him from asking himself the question again in his head. She began to stir, a small shiver passing through her as her legs extended. He hoped she wasn't still cold. He had gotten another blanket just in case. And that's when he saw it, a bruise that circled her wrist. He could see where the imprint of his thumb pressed into the inside of it. Bile rose inside him, making him feel like a monster. That wasn't him. None of that was him. He wanted to kill whoever it was that did it, he would never hurt her, mentally, physically, figuratively or any other way. Never. His eyes remained fixed on it, a dark thought emerging in his head. Her wrist will heal. What about his heart? They were far from even.

* * *

><p>She woke up to an empty room and a vibrating phone. The lids of her eyes fluttered as she tried to recall where she was, the memory of last night coming quickly. She closed her eyes again hoping that when they reopened she'd be some place else. She wasn't, and a sadness hovered along with embarrassment. She sat up, tossing the covers from her body as the phone continued to vibrate. She glanced at it beside her on the nightstand, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Her hand reached out to grab it, stopping when she saw the darkness around her wrist. She swallowed hard as her other hand went to touch it. It hurt. Anger rose and with it an excuse to give up.<p>

"Hello?"

Cristina walked quickly down the hall at Seattle Grace, Mercy West, heading toward the residence's lounge, phone pressed to her ear.

"Hello? Is that really all you have to say, Torres?"

The petite resident walked into the lounge, closing the door behind her as Callie answered her.

"I called you yesterday. You must have been in surgery or something."

"Yeah, I recall you performing those. Chief's kinda ticked that you didn't give him much notice. This temporary replacement guy is the worst. He smell like mothballs, Torres."

"Are we really talking about replacement guy?"

"Yeah, yeah, right."Cristina paused, watching as doctors passed the door. "I assume you're with him?"

"Yeah, I'm with him."

"Well?"

"It's not exactly going the way I imagined."

"So when are you coming back?"

Cristina could hear Callie sigh as a long pause passed.

"I don't know. I- things- everything's just rocky. You didn't tell, anyone did you?"

It was Cristina's turn to be silent.

"Cristina!"

"I only told Bailey. She gave me the Bailey eyes. It slipped."

Callie sighed again. Cristina began to pace.

"She won't tell anybody. She can keep a secret."

"What if she talks to Arizona?"

"She already has and she didn't say anything. Although I'm pretty sure roller girl knows I know something. She kept me off a really amazing case by the way. You need to get back here."

"Aw, do you miss me?"

"No, I miss my really amazing cases."

Callie chuckled over the line.

"Just," Cristina started, her voice turning serious. "Keep me updated, okay?"

"I will."

Callie tossed the phone on the bed, standing to walk toward the window. She yawned, stretching her limbs and twisting her torso back and forth. He had an amazing view of the ocean from his room, the sun's rays stretching over it. It was a nice place to vacation. But home was Seattle.

"You're awake."

She jumped, turning to see him standing at the open door, coffee mugs in hand. A look of shame passed over his face when his eyes unconsciously went to her wrist. He looked down at his mugs to divert his eyes.

"I made some coffee."

For several seconds neither made a move from where they stood. Callie could see his hesitation and instantly he was forgiven. She walked up to him, taking the red mug from his left hand to leave him with the blue.

"Thank you."

"I probably should have made tea."

The mug barely made contact with her lips before she looked back up to him.

"You drink tea, now?"

"Pete, he's uh, the alternative medicine man at the Wellness Center. He turned me onto it. Has calming qualities or some crap like that."

She arched an eyebrow, finally taking a sip of her coffee.

"Coffee's good," she assured, turning to walk back toward the window.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Huh?"

"On the phone?"

"Oh, it was Cristina. She was um...checking in."

He nodded, taking a drink from is coffee. He watched as she tossed her hair back, the sunlight catching it just right. He had to mentally check himself but damn if she wasn't beautiful.

"What the hell was that last night?"

Her tongue ran across her bottom lip as she stared down at her drink then up at him.

"You tell me," she answered.

"You could haven frozen to death last night."

"It's LA, I don't think anyone could have frozen to death."

"It was stupid."

"It got the point across."

"And what point was that?"

"That I'm not leaving."

His mouth closed with the shake of his head. Before he had always found her stubbornness endearing, now he found it a curse.

"If you don't want me here, that 's fine. I'll stay with Addison, or check into a hotel, but either way I'm not leaving."

"Until when? Until you get bored? Until Robbins finds that right thing to say?"

"Until you do."

Her hand went to tuck her dark hair behind her ear, his eyes once again landing on the dark mark. She caught his eyes on it and put the hand behind her, lifting the mug with the other to her mouth. He thought about apologizing, but he worried that if they words were said out loud that they would confirm that he was in fact a monster. He thought if he didn't she'd think it intentional, which made him an even bigger monster, but at least she wouldn't feel the need to accept the apology out of some kind of obligation, so he went with door number two.

"That was a crazy thing to do."

"That's what makes me Callie."

"What if I hadn't have found you?"

"You did. That's what makes you Mark."

She was being cute, though there was truth behind it and he couldn't help but smile, defenses falling a bit. She smiled too, eyebrows raising before she took another drink. Damn her and her hooks. He was being reeled in. He walked into the room, slowly making his way to her.

"Don't ever do something like that again."

His blue eyes were upon her, full of sincerity and concern. She wanted to make a joke but thought better of it.

"Okay."

His eyes went to her mouth. A mouth he's kissed a thousand times. He knew exactly how'd they feel if he were to kiss them now. Instead he raised his hand, pressing the back of it against her cheek. Her eyes closed at the touch.

"You're warm."

"I'm fine."

They'd come to stand closely together, separated by their mugs. Her eyes reopened to find so much of the anger from last night gone, longing in its place. If there a way to skip the whole rebuilding trust thing she'd do it and the spend the rest of her life just making love to him. His hand dropped and he inhaled deeply before the breath was let out.

"You should get back in bed. I'm going to take a shower. I have a meeting with the partners."

"Sounds serious."

He stepped back with a shrug.

"They want to make me a partner."

"A partner?"

He nodded, his smile going to the side.

"Wouldn't that mean... that you'd... have to stay living here?"

"That the idea, Torres."

Her face fell. She'd just been hit with a curve-ball. That wasn't the plan. The plan was to kiss and makeup and move back to Seattle. He was making it hard for her at every turn. She watched as he turned back to walk out of the room, taking with him any once of hope she thought she had just gained.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're going to make him a partner, Addison? Did you forget to mention that?"

"Yeah, actually, I did. It's been a little crazy around here and it's been rescheduled a million times."

Addison and Callie walked along the promenade heading toward the wellness center, both their cardigans hugged tight around them as the wind blew.

"Sam wanted to make him partner the first month he was here. But Mark kept putting it off."

"Why?"

"I think he was waiting for something. Waiting for you."

Callie stopped walking, arms crossed around her chest. Addison turned to face her, her arms extending out before falling, a gesture that read 'I don't know what you want me to do.'

"We're in LA, he's a plastic surgeon. The amount of business that he's brought in has been phenomenal."

Callie gave her a look that said that she could give two fucks.

"He can't live in in LA. He's home is Seattle. His apartment is still there, waiting for him. He has friends there."

"He has friends here," Addison stated.

"I'm there." Callie corrected.

"Look, something like this takes time. There's legal stuff and board meetings."

"You guys are the board meetings."

Addison sighed, tucking her red strands, freed by the wind, back behind her ear.

"Can't you talk to him? You know him, you know he doesn't belong here. He only came because I was an idiot. But I'm trying to fix it now and if he stays here, then I'll have to stay here, and I don'twannaliveinLA, Addison."

"Hey! What wrong with LA?"

"The same thing that was wrong with Miami. I'm a moody person. I need weather. I like the rain. I can't do sunshine all the time. Rain is nice. It represents every single emotion. Sadness, happiness...gloom."

"What are you a poet now?"

Callie ignored her as they began to walk again.

"Have you ever had sex in the rain? It's amazing. What's so great about having sex on a beach? Nothing. It sucks. Sand gets all up in your -"

"Woah, woah, woah, okay. I get the picture."She chuckled, her mind going to all the possible places one could possibly have sex. "He seems pretty set to do this."

"He'll change his mind."

Addison reached for Callie's hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"I hope so. For you."

Callie looked at her with a smile. Addison smiled back, thin lips spread tight across her face.

"What's this?"

Addison's eyes were now at Callie's wrist. She lifted her hand to fully expect it.

"What the hell?"

"It's nothing."

"That wasn't there yesterday." Her blue eyes were back on Callie's face, eyebrows raised. "Did he do this?"

"It was...I don't want to say an accident... that sounds...unintentional. It was unintentional."

Addison continued to look at her.

"I will kick his ass."

"Come on!" Callie said, her voice weary, "You know Mark. You honestly think it did it on purpose? He just grabbed it a little hard."

"A lot hard." Addison dropped her friend's hand with a shutter. She didn't like it. "Callie, I know you probably don't want to hear this but maybe you guys should spend some time a part."

"That's the last thing we need to do."

Addison stepped in front of the brunette, turning to face her again. Callie met her gaze.

"I don't know, Callie. I think this thing between you two is going to take more time than you probably thought it would."

"Yeah, I'm figuring that out."

"How long are you willing to wait for him to come around?"

Callie sighed, turning her head to watch as a couple passed them by, a shrug to her shoulders.

"I don't know." A small laugh. "Forever."

"That's a long time."

"Which is why I'm hoping it won't take that long."

* * *

><p>"My man!"<p>

Sam greeted a seated, suit and tie wearing Mark with a grab of the shoulders as he entered the conference room before taking a seat in a black leather chair of his own as he smoothed his hand over his designer tie. "You finally ready to do this?"

Mark gave an open mouthed smile, one that couldn't hide the burden in his eyes. "Haha, I think so."

"You have to shake off the last couple of days. You know it happens to every doctor, no matter how great they are. And you are one of the best, my friend."

Mark could only nod his head, his usual confidence a little shook. Sam looked at his old friend, the one that was usually in the good mood with some dirty joke to tell, and saw that he wasn't quite the same. He was different though. Different than he had been the past few months, possessing a spark that almost seemed like Mark was trying to squelch.

"How are things? With your lady friend?"

Mark was silent, his brows furrowing as the edges of his mouth smoothed out. He turned his chair a little to look at his friend. The air around them serious.

"You ever - you ever look at yourself in the mirror and see somebody completely different?"

Sam puckered his lips in thought. "I think everyone's done that once or twice."

"It ever scare you?"

Mark waiting for Sam's reply, feeling that he didn't quite understand. His head lowered, his chair turning back.

"I think if she had come...hell last week even, I think- I think we would have been fine."

"You don't think that anymore?"

"I don't-" he started, his thought switching to another, "I think that I'm realizing that I've spent so much of my life settling, accepting scraps and feeling honored that they were even given to me. I think I deserve more than that. I _know_ I can do better than that."

Sam leaned back in his chair, nodding his head at Mark's words. "I'm not saying that you don't, because you definitely do, but this woman, this Callie from what I've heard about her is not something you'd be exactly settling for."

Mark raised his eyebrows with a grin. He was ready for the serious air to clear.

"She wants me to go back to Seattle."

"Oh, well then I take back what I just said."

Mark laughed.

A few minutes later, the others began to gather into the conference room. Pete and Violet took their seats next to each other, wrapping up a conversation about a case they were working on. Cooper came in next, taking a seat next to Violet, strumming his fingers against the table.

"We finally doing this, Sloan?" he asked.

"I think so." Mark confirmed with a smile, his eyes diverting to the window as Callie and Addison stepped off the elevator. "I think so."

He watched as Addison and Callie talked, Addison presumably assuring the younger doctor of something. Callie nodded her head as Addison walked away, heading toward the conference room. She popped her head in, fingers wrapped around the door frame.

"Mark, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"We're about to start, Addison." Sam spoke up only to receive a hand.

"Just a minute. Charlotte isn't even here yet and neither is the lawyer."

Mark gave Sam a nod as he stood, walking out with Addison. Callie sat on the lobby couch, watching as they passed. Addison closed the door to her office as she entered in after him.

"If this is about Callie - OW! What the hell?"

He was met with a slap to the head.

"I saw her wrist. Did YOU see her wrist?" Addison asked with accusation.

He turned back to face her.

"You can't possibly think that was intentional."

"I don't know what to think."

"Not that is was done on purpose!"

Addison stood with her arms folded over her chest, an eyebrow raised and mouth twisted. Mark stood too, his hands going in the air.

"What are you doing, Mark?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not happy here. You've just been going through the motions. You do surgeries and then you drink. That's been the cycle for the past six months."

"What are you getting at?"

"What am I getting at? You're about to sign a contract to remain in Los Angeles permanently for the next four years. Why now? Why when all you've ever wanted was for Callie to come and take you back home?"

"So this is about Callie."

"No, it's about you. You're my friend and I love you and I know that I haven't always been the greatest friend and vice versa but I _care_ about you. This is a big commitment, Mark. And I can't help but feel that you're just jumping in because you're running scared."

Mark was silent, his breathing heavy as his eyes left hers and fell to the floor.

"I want this, Addison," he said finally.

"Does Callie know that? Because she's still hanging on to some kind of hope."

"I'm not making her stay."

"And yet you're letting her sleep in the bedroom next to yours."

"I tried to get her to leave."

Addison blew out air between her lips. "Yeah, and that worked out really well."

"Look, I can't base my decisions on her. If she stays, if she leaves, that's up to her. But I've found a life here and it's going pretty well and I want this."

Addison worried the inside of her cheek, hands on her hips as she looked at him.

"I do. Okay?"

Addison nodded before shaking her head, not really sure of anything. "Okay."

Callie watched as they left her office. Addison shot Callie an apologetic glance with a shake of her head. She and Mark reentered the conference room now, with all members present. Callie felt time stop as she watched Mark take his seat, her heart pounding in her ears. She was too late. She had come too late. Her bottom lip trembled as she watched them laugh, documents sliding between partners. She felt panic begin to rise but she didn't know what to do. She stood to leave, walking back toward the elevators, only for her feet to turn around, leading back toward the conference room.

"You can't do this." She said, barging in, her hand tightly gripped around the door handle. All eyes were on her. "You know that you don't belong here."

"Callie-"

But Mark was cut off.

"You know it, and if you could just lose your stupid pride for just a moment..."

"Is there a problem here? Do we need to reschedule this?" Charlotte asked looking back and forth between Mark and Callie.

"No." Sam and Mark spoke together.

Callie didn't really know Sam, but she felt a sudden urge to cause him physical harm. Her wish was granted when he was met with a swift kick by Addison.

"Ow." The bald surgeon said, rubbing his shin underneath the table as he glared at Addison who wore a face of innocence.

"I'm at work here, Callie. This isn't the most appropriate time."

"I don't care," she responded with a shrug. "Ask me if I care." She turned to the others seated, watching the spectacle. "Do you guys think I care?"

Cooper and Violet shook their heads. Pete leaned forward in his chair, stretching his arms across the table as he let out an uncomfortable breath. Mark stood.

"Now is not the time, Torres."

"Oh, really? Because it looks like you're about to sign your life away. I can't think of a better time to stop you from doing that."

"I think we need to reschedule this," Charlotte said, beginning to gather up the documents.

"No." Mark said firmly. He approached Callie, voice low though the others could still hear him. "You need to go."

"I'm not leaving," she said with exasperation. "Why do I feel like I'm repeating myself? I'll keep saying it though cause apparently you're not listening."

The others gave up, leaning back in their chairs all their attention on the arguing doctors.

"And what am I supposed to do with that? Is my life supposed to stop because you decided, after another round with Robbins, that you've made a mistake? I'm supposed to be grateful? I'm supposed to welcome you in my life with open arms?"

"You're life has stopped! It stopped the moment you gave up and ran away like a little boy. What life do you have here? I've seen no sign of it."

The seated doctor's swiveled their chairs to look at Mark. Charlotte suddenly wished that she had a bowl of popcorn. She dug into her purse to pull out a box of Altoids, offering some to the other trapped surgeons.

"Thank you," Pete whispered as he took one after the others, popping it into his mouth.

"I don't care if you see it. I stopped caring about your opinion a long time ago."

"You're so full of shit."

"I'm...I'm full of shit?" His voice rose an octave in disbelief.

"I get it, I hurt you. I think everybody here gets that I hurt you. I'll gladly spend the rest of my life making it up to you, but this what you're doing right now is an even bigger mistake."

His head shook, his hands balling into fists.

"I really need you to get out."

"I love you. I dare you to say that you don't love me back. I won't believe you, but I dare you to say it."

Once again, chairs turned toward Mark. His mouth closed as Callie stood waiting for a response. He turned toward the others, somehow surprised that they were still there, hanging on every word. Violet especially looked to be anticipating his answer.

"Could you guys give us a minute?"

"It'd be much easier if you leave," Charlotte stated simply gaining glares from Mark and Callie.

They all stood, filing out of the room and into the lobby.

"Things are never dull around here," Cooper said with a smirk.

"I like her," Charlotte whispered. "She got sass."

Addison shared a glance with Callie as she walked behind Sam, the door shutting behind her.

"I cannot believe you did this in front of the people that I have to work with everyday."

"What can't you believe? After last night I'm frankly surprised that you could be surprised at anything I do."

She had a point, though his patience was wearing thin. His shoulder slumped as his hand slid over his face.

"Callie, I - What do you want?"

"You. I want you."

"I waited for you. I waiting just knowing that you'd come and you didn't. I moved on."

"Where? I haven't seen you move on. I haven't felt you move on."

"I can't do this with you."

"Do what?"

"Stop what I'm doing to make you the center of my universe."

Callie swallowed. Had she asked him to?

"Every time you'd call I'd come running. You needed a shoulder, I had two. You'd fall, I'd catch you."

"I don't know what all you're remembering, but that was never a one way street. I can recall on both hands and feet the number of times I fought with my girlfriend because I'd come running when you called. I was there for you just as much. I mean, my God, were we supposed to be tallying up the points?"

"Of course not."

"Then can we please drop the bullshit and get to the truth of it?"

"Fine, Torres. What's the truth of it?"

"I failed you. You think that I put her first."

"You did put her first."

"Of course I did! She was my girlfriend. I felt that I had an obligation to make it work. But I never shut you out. I never turned you away."

Violet, Pete, Sam, Charlotte, Cooper and Addison stood outside, watching Callie and Mark through the window, the lawyer having long left. Charlotte had got her hands on a bag of microwave popcorn, sharing it with Violet.

"What's going on?"

Their heads turned to Naomi walking up, her eyes going to where all their attention was being paid.

"Mark is having it out with Callie," Sam answered.

"And you're just watching?"

"Nothing else to do," Cooper replied, stealing a cornel and popping it into his mouth.

"Aren't you guys doctors?"

The group looked amongst themselves, frowns forming, becoming slightly embarrassed. They suddenly disbursed, heading off to their offices to catch up on cases. Sam and Addison remained behind, smirking at their colleagues.

"So, you're close with this Callie person. How much of a chance does she have?" Sam asked, arms wrapping around Naomi.

"They're both so much alike, I - I don't know."

They went at it for hours, sometimes going in circles, sometimes breaking ground, but they both stood exhausted. They were now at Mark's house, taking turns pacing in the living room and sitting on the sofa.

"I called you everyday. I emailed you, I texted you. You broke contact."

"You broke my heart, Callie! Was I supposed to continue talking to you and hanging out like old times, like nothing had changed? I couldn't watch you be her. I couldn't do it!"

"But if you had only waited - ,"

"Then what? Then I would have seen what I already knew was going to happen? Watch as you and Robbins combust? I had watched it twice and both times you went back to her. Both times, I was left alone!"

He pounded his chest with his fist as he spoke, his tie long ago loosened and jacket tossed over the arm of the couch. Her cardigan was tossed over it, the top few buttons of her blouse undid as mass strands of hair fell from a clip that was holding it up.

"I never meant for you feel alone. Of everyone on this planet you would be the last person I'd hurt."

She approached him, taking both his hands and clutching them against her chest. He turned his head unable to look at her.

"Mark, it was such a mistake. But you and me, we go together. I can be a little slow on the uptake sometimes but I know that now. And you know it too or you wouldn't be hurting this much. You wouldn't so angry."

She waited for him to speak but he kept his eyes askance.

"Look at me." When he didn't she gathered both of his hands in one of hers, keeping them pressed against her as her other hand went to his cheek, turning his head. "Look at me, Mark." His eyes stayed adrift for moment before they finally turned down to her face. "I love you. This isn't some fluke. This is the real thing. You knew it all along. So please just let me back in. Let me back in."

He wanted to. It was her eyes that did it every time. But there, lingering in the back of his head, were so many doubts. He had finally resigned himself to being alone, to being an afterthought and her sudden reemergence in his life only served to shake his world upside down. She could see that he was wavering. She could see that her words had hit home, that he was fighting some inner war that prevented him from giving in. It was enough for her though, she'd hang onto it, telling him how much she loved him a thousand times until he'd break. And he would. It was inevitable. Pride was making him stubborn. She understood that too, it was after all a trait she too possessed.

His eyes scanned over her. Her hair was wild, eyes wide, lips...kissable. His head dipped slightly. He must have gained the strength of ten men to not have allowed his lips to fully meet hers. She allowed his hands to slip from hers, seeing the battle play out in his eyes. She couldn't help but smile, he looked like a little boy so she'd indulge his petulance. His head shook as he backed away, a smile of his own forming. His entire being shook with his resistance. He wouldn't be able to last much longer, not with her looking at him like that, with that smile and glistening skin exposed through that half unbuttoned blouse. She looked quite simply...fuckable.

"I'm going to bed," he said.

He needed a cold shower and she didn't fail to notice that either. But sleep would come faster. She watched as he backed away, tugging his tie from around his neck as he turned to head down the hall.

She went to bed soon after, unbuttoning the rest of her blouse and unzipping her skirt. She put on an oversized sweat shirt, tugging the sleeves above her elbows. She lay in bed, eyes on the ceiling before turning on her side, finding no comfort. She let out a breath, tossing the covers free from her body, getting out of bed and walked out into the hall. She went to his door, opening it. He slept shirtless, on his back, the covers covering his lower half. She closed the door behind her as she entered. He didn't wake as the mattress shifted and she lay on her side, her hands tucking under a pillow as she laid her head down. Her eyes closed instantly as sleep welcomed her. Mark rolled to his side, his arm wrapping around her waist as he hugged her close. They remained that way. Until the morning.

* * *

><p>He could smell her in his dreams, feel the soft feathers of her hair brush against his face. It was almost like she was there in his arms, being held by him. Mark moved his arm slightly to find that it was in fact holding something, someone. The lids of his eyes lazily floated open met by waves of black curls. He squinted, eyes blinking several times. Was he still dreaming? Without thought he leaned his head down, is nose grazing against Callie's shoulder. She was there, in the flesh, in his bed, in his arms. He had dreams like this before. For the first couple of months that he was here, he'd dream about her, her smile bright, speaking words of affection. He'd wake up every time to a cool room, alone in bed, a heart re-shattered. Yet this time, there she was. He felt a sudden wave of emotions, a knot in his stomach slowly making its way to his throat. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh, be glad or disbelieving.<p>

He couldn't help but bring his nose back to her shoulder, inhale her. He listened as she took a deep breath, that breath one takes when they're finally waking up, shoulders raising to the ears before falling back down again. He made no move, he couldn't. It would all evaporate if he did. Her head turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes falling on his mouth before rising to meet the cool blue eyes that stared back at her. She smiled a morning greeting before turning her head back, stretching her limbs tightly with a yawn. She settled back in her position before turning over to lay on her other side, facing him, arms bent, hands tucked under her chin.

Mark watched her face as she relaxed again, the lids of her eyes closing shut for a moment only for them to reopen again. He gulped. His fingers, having a life of their own, made their way from their spot on her waist to travel up her arm, her skin soft and warm to the touch. She watched his face as he looked at her, his fingers sliding along her face, over her eyes, her freckled nose, her lips, her chin. She smiled again, untucking a hand from under her chin to touch his face, the rough stubbles of his beard, his lips. He could feel the knot return to his stomach as his lips parted. He had that same urge to kiss her and his heart pounded vigorously as each second passed that he didn't. She could read his thoughts, her eyes scanning up and down his face as her fingers lingered along his rigid jaw.

Her lips pressed against his in the most gentle of fashion, a lingering peck really. She leaned back, her eyes reopening to watch him. His face twitched with a tremble of his lips. He'd crumble if that were all. So she kissed him again, capturing his bottom lip between hers before catching the top. His own body began to spring to life, natural instinct leading the way. His hand pressed against her back to bring her closer. Her hand slipped from its place on his jaw to land on the pillow on the other side of his head. Their mouths opened wider to deepen the kiss and allow the first meeting of tongue. He leaned to lay on his back, pulling her with him to lay on top of him, her leg going over him to land on the other side of the bed, straddling him, their mouths not breaking even for breath. Her hair dangled over him, sprinkling his face and spilling onto the pillows. His fingers went to pull the strands from her face, holding them in place against her head as the kiss deepened, heat coursing through both their bodies. Her tongue licked across his lip before sucking it between her teeth.

He sat up, holding her lower back as he brought her with him, her legs moving to hook over his hips and circle around him. Her arm went around his neck, fingers burying into the hairs of his head. His hands went to her ass to bring her still closer, their tongues reconnecting upon her release of his lip. His entire body was on fire, tingling with desire. He wanted her. Now. She could feel his need, her desire for him matching his for her. They'd both explode if they couldn't get closer and their bodies trembled with need for more. His hands dug under the hem of her sweatshirt, feeling the warmth of her back, fingers dancing along her hips before pulling the article overhead, her arms going into the air until it was tossed aside. Her hair rained down over her shoulders and onto her back. He silently thanked the gods that she rarely wore a bra to bed.

His chest pressed against her breast, his mouth finally breaking the kiss to taste along her jaw, her neck. His teeth grazed her shoulder before his tongue licked it, traveling along her clavicle. Her head fell backward as her back arched and he took the opportunity to take a nipple into his mouth. She moaned as his tongue flicked it before he sucked on it making her body shiver as he held her in place. His mouth went to the other, giving it the same attention, her chest heaving as she tried to maintain her breathing. Callie snapped her head back up, her fingers tugging his hair to lift his head. He was met with a bruising kiss.

He laid her down on her back, going with her so that he was on top, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her lower against he mattress, their heads now at the bottom end. Heated breath escaped, brushing across the other's face. Her legs bent completely at the knees so that the heel of her both her feet touched the backs of her thighs. He felt his waist being squeezed between them, her toes going to the waistband of his sweatpants. She wanted them off. He broke the kiss to look down at her, seeing her chocolate eyes burn with want. She was real and she was here. He sat up, pulling the pants free then laid back down to cover her. She could feel him, hard and throbbing against the cotton of her underwear. She moaned, biting down on her bottom lip, releasing it with a loud gasp when his fingers made their way between the cotton. She was soaking wet. Her hands left from around his neck, traveling down his back, the tips of her fingers pressing into his skin. Her hips lifting off the bed as he pulled the underwear off over her endless, tan legs.

She cried out when he entered her, every inch of him buried inside her. He held still, allowing the feel of her to wash over him, his head buried in the spot where neck meets shoulder. He kissed her there, feeling as her walls adjusted to him. His hips began to rock, his body shuttering at the perfection that was Callie Torres. They rocked together, slowly taking in the feel of each other, committing it to memory. Breaths were, hitched, caught and released as they continued their reconnection of bodies, of souls. He lifted his head to look down at her, her mouth parted, everything in her eyes. She saw them in his too and she felt happy. She lifted her head slightly off the mattress as a hand went to the back of his, pulling him down to meet her in another kiss.

Mark lifted her up with him as he adjusted them to a new position, with him sitting on his on the backs of his legs and her in his lap. She held tightly to him, an arm going over his shoulder, her hand in a tight fist behind his head, the other holding onto his upper arm as she raised and lowered herself. Her mouth was close to his ear, low guttural moans pouring out. She kissed the side of his head, his neck, shivering every time he'd reenter her, her head falling upon his shoulder to bite down on the enticing flesh. He was lost in her, his eyes closed as her hips ground in circles. She was increasing the pace, his hands guiding her as they held onto the bottom of her ass. She squeezed him tighter as she began to shake, tears welling as sensation after sensation swept over her, both bodies glistening with perspiration.

His groans were deep, becoming grunts when he flipped her onto her back. He went faster, hooking her leg over his pelvis. They kissed again, her tongue finding the roof of his mouth and making him shudder. He went deeper, both crying out as her hands fell from his hair and onto his ass. She met him thrust for thrust, hips lifting off the bed as they went. Their moans became melodic as his pace increased still more, driving deeper. She broke the kiss as her head fell back, digging into the pillow, and arch to her back. She was coming close. He wanted to continue forever. The pain was forgotten. The anger, forgotten. His walls were down and she was in his blood again, swimming inside his veins. Where did he begin? Where did she? He didn't know. He didn't care. Only that feeling of fear began to creep up. He didn't have control. He could lose her again. She could be gone again and where would that leave him? Shattered and destitute. He wouldn't be a man, he'd be a slave to an emotion that always dealt him a shitty hand.

Tears stung his eyes as the fear took hold. He held her, his pace increasing still more, going deeper than he ever thought he could. She came hard, screaming as she shook underneath him. He kept going, a bit rougher, his tears landing on the side of her face, on her shoulder. She held him as he continued, animalistic grunts leaving his mouth as he'd pull out and dipped back in. He began to shake too, his curled toes digging roughly into the mattress.

"Oh, god!" he cried.

She came a second time along with him, feeling as he exploded inside her, his thrusts slowing until they stopped. He fell on his side beside her, sobs bubbling before they were let out. She held him, shushing him quietly in his ear.

"I love you, Mark," she whispered between shushes, feeling as his arm wrapped around her, his face buried in the crook of her neck. "I love you."

He continued to cry, unhealed wounds throbbing. His body had felt it as well his soul but his heart was still in disbelief.


	5. Chapter 5

[Author's note: This chapter got pretty long. It played out shorter in my head, lol. But I promise no other chapter will be as long. I appreciate all your reviews!]

Mark woke up to an empty bed, a sheet covering from his torso down with a bent leg peeking out. He was naked and felt hazy as he attempted to shake free from sleep. He sat up on his elbows, looking around to find no one there. Had it all been a dream? He wasn't sure what scared him more, that it had been or that it hadn't. The bite mark on his shoulder confirmed that it hadn't and those feelings of fear and lack of certainty gripped him tight around the middle. He wished it had been a dream but all at once he couldn't shake the feel of her, the way she smelled, the way she tasted. That look in her eyes stayed with him, warming him yet a cold chill went through his core.

Sounds of pots banging could be heard from the kitchen along with the wafting smell of morning cooking. He got out of bed, tugging on his sweats as he left the room. Callie smiled up at him as he entered the kitchen as she scrambled eggs and poured them into a buttered skillet.

"Hi."

She had showered and dressed, wearing a pair of jeans and one of his old buttoned down shirts, her hair fell loosely about her shoulders still tinged with dampness.

"I was going to bring this to you in bed. I wanted to surprise you."

He swallowed as he looked over all that she had prepared. She must have gone out shopping for it all because at most, the only things he kept in his kitchen were liquor, apples and bread to make toast. There was a fruit salad of strawberries and blueberries and bananas, french toast, oatmeal and eggs. It all looked and smelt delicious but the perfect scene before him left him unnerved.

"You didn't have to do that, this," he said, needing to clear his throat.

Her smile only beamed brighter. "I wanted to," she said as she tended to the eggs. "Have a seat."

He popped his knuckles as he took a seat, his stomach uneasy. He wouldn't be able to eat a thing. He watched as she made his plate. She was beautiful, happy...misled. Or maybe it was him that was misled. He wasn't sure. Things had suddenly become so jumbled. Before there had been a line and it blurred in a moment that his guard was down. He hadn't meant for it to happen, but she was there and he was unable to resist.

She sat a plate in front of him and herself, taking a seat across from him as she popped a blueberry in her mouth. She looked pleased. Callie watched Mark as he moved his fork around the plate yet never take a bite. For her, this morning had been perfect. She couldn't have dreamed it to be more so and she had moved about on a high. But there he sat, unable to eat and it confused her, bringing her down and unable to eat as well.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes upon him.

His eyes rose to hers as he set the fork down. He wasn't sure himself. This should be easy. It had always been before but now there was a shift and he was unable to simply take things as they came. He tried to smile, but it never fully formed.

"I think you might have gotten the wrong idea," he finally said, watching as she mimicked his earlier action of setting the fork down. "This morning was -"

"Perfect," she finished.

The truth is that it had been perfect. They had reconnected and it had been powerful. It had never happened like that to him before and it rocked him to his core. He had lost control and he needed desperately to get it back. He was unwilling to take a chance on an unsure thing.

"It was a mistake," he corrected, watching as the light dimmed in her eyes.

Callie closed her eyes as she let out a breath through parted lips. She knew he was lying. How had they gotten back there? He was resisting her, resisting what was the most natural and honest thing that had ever happened between them. Her eyes reopened with a tilt of her head.

"No it wasn't. No it wasn't, it was amazing. It was -"

"A mistake, Callie."

"How could you say that? How could you honestly say that to me? I was there. I felt it, I saw it."

"It should have never happened. You should have never been in my bed."

"Have things changed that much, Mark? How many years have I spent crawling into bed with you, and not once did you feel the sudden impulse to rock my world. You wanted it and so did I."

Mark pushed his plate away, his body twisting as he tried to think up another excuse.

"I wasn't in my right mind."

"What, you were drunk?"

"No!"

"Why can't you just say it? Why can't you just say that you're scared? That it scared you? That it surprised you? That you weren't prepared for it? Why the need for all this bullshit?"

"It's not bullshit," he said standing, "I was completely caught off guard. You were there and it was morning."

"Then what was your excuse last night when you were standing at attention?"

"I'm still a man, Callie!" He leaned with his back against the counter.

"Huh, so what? I was fulfilling a need? You could have gotten any whore in a bar for that."

"There was no need for that with you there."

The words had came out wrong. He didn't know how to swallow them back and watched in horror as oxygen ceased making its way into Callie's body. She was frozen, silently gasping for breath that wouldn't come as water filled her eyes. She had just been slapped with an invisible hand. She tried to speak but no words came out as her lips moved open and shut.

"Fuc -," she finally managed, nearly choking as oxygen returned. "Fuck you, Mark Sloan."

He was beginning to panic, he hadn't meant it that way. God, it had come out so wrong! But he was paralyzed, stuck between pride and ego all tied neatly in a bow with fear. She stood wiping her tears roughly with her hand, pissed that they had come at all. She had her pride too after all. The Latina moved passed him, pushing him with both hands out of her way before turning back.

"Are we even yet?" She asked, his eyes unable to meet hers. "I remember a time when you swore that you'd never hurt me. Do you remember that? Because you seem to be taking so much pleasure in doing it now."

With that she was gone, the slamming of the front door making him jump. He listened as the engine of her car roared and made it's way from his home. He continued to stand there. What the hell had just happened? In his bid to gain back some control he lost it all entirely. But if she left now, he wouldn't have time to get too hooked. Only now he was lying to himself. He was hooked, had always been but that fear had gripped him in a headlock. He couldn't tell which way was up or which was down.

* * *

><p>Addison sat with Sam and Naomi on their back terrace laughing and enjoying breakfast. Naomi was telling them about a potential mom that had formed an obsession with Nadya Suleman, the octo- mom.<p>

"It sounds like she needs to talk to Violet," Sam suggested before placing a pancake in his mouth.

"I've already set up an appointment," Naomi agreed, sipping orange juice from her glass.

Addison continued to laugh between bites of toast.

"Isn't that your friend, Callie?"Sam asked pointing across the way.

Callie was walking around the back of Addison's house, cellphone to her ear as she tried to call the redhead. She knocked on the glass of the backdoor, punching the redial button repeatedly on her phone only to be sent to voicemail.

"Yeah," Addison said, her voice concerned. She looked down at her phone next to her on the table to see that it was turned off. "Shit." She rose from the table. "Guys, I -"

"Go," Naomi said. "She looks upset."

Addison grabbed her phone and made her way over to her house, half running, calling out to Callie as she went.

"Callie!"

Callie turned her head to find Addison running over from her neighbors. She felt bad, she had meant to interrupt.

"Hey! What's going on?"

"Oh Addison, I'm sorry. I tried to call but I couldn't reach you and I didn't know you were with your friends. Go back."

"No, it's okay. I was finished. What's wrong? What happened?"

Callie looked at her as her phone passed between her hands. She felt foolish but there was no where else for her to go. Addison watched as thoughts played out in her mind. She knew something was wrong. Callie's eyes were red and her bottom lip swollen from being bitten down on.

"I just - I don't - I don't know what I'm doing."

She needed a hug, and Addison gave her one freely, holding her tight as the Latina began to cry.

"Come on," Addison said, ushering her toward the house. "Let's go inside."

* * *

><p>Mark sat alone in his office, the building mostly cleared except for a cleaning crew. He tried to read over some case file but kept reading the same sentences over and over, his mind flashing back to the disaster that was this morning. He finally gave up, leaning back in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. He began to rub his arm and then the other, an action that resembled an addict in withdrawal. She was still on his skin, or in it. He had taken an hour long shower in an attempt to scrub her off but then he'd see her eyes and he'd falter. He leaned forward again to rest his elbows on the desk, determined to read the file as fingers rubbed at his temples. Her face was on the file, her expressive eyes staring back at him. He knocked it all of the desk. In one fell swoop, files and their papers were tossed in the air before floating to the ground, pens and their holders fell with a thud along with books and a coffee mug that shattered. He pushed away from his desk, his chair rolling back until it hit the wall. He couldn't think and his head began to throb as a single image of Callie and her eyes played over and over in his mind. He pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed a number, bringing the phone to his ear.<p>

"Hello?"

"Sam? Sam, I'm - I'm -"

"Mark? What is it, man?"

"I think I'm losing my mind, Sam. I think I'm losing my mind." Mark's voice trembled as he spoke into the phone, his forehead resting in his palm as his fingers tugged at the front of his hair.

"You at home? Where are you? Tell me where you are."

* * *

><p>Addison went to answer her front door, opening it to find Naomi standing behind it.<p>

"How is she?" Naomi answered as she stepped inside.

Addison shut the door as both walked further into the house and into the living room.

Addison wore a face of concern as she shrugged, her arms tossing up in the air.

"I don't know. I don't know what's happening. All I know is that one of my closest friends couldn't stop crying until she finally fell asleep. She's upstairs now in my room. And I - I don't know what to think."

"Mark called Sam."

"Really? What'd he say?"

"I don't know. Something must have happened, he ran out the door so fast."

Addison looked at Naomi with her head shaking back and forth. She couldn't possibly fathom the thoughts that were going through her best friend's mind.

"You don't know Callie, Nai. I mean you never seen her with Mark. They were - even just as best friends they... they just made sense. You could see that they loved each other, that they were good for each other. I can't imagine what you're thinking right now."

They took a seat on the sofa. Naomi rubbed Addison's arms with her hands in an attempt to reassure her.

"I don't think anything. I could see it when they were going at it in the conference room that they loved each other, _love_ each other."

"So what do I do? What do you do when two of your close friends are in so much pain? I mean I can't take a side. It's so obvious that Mark still has feelings for her and she's fighting with everything she's got and I..."

Naomi continued to wrap an arm around Addison, rubbing up and down her arm.

"I think you're doing everything you can. There is a lot of pain there. We knew that when Mark showed up all those months ago. It's a lot to work through. So just let them work through it and continue to be there for them. Like you were for Sam and me."

Addison rested her head on Naomi's shoulder overwhelmed with the morning's events.

"I think it's going to work out." Naomi continued.

"You do?"

"Mark deserves someone that will fight for him. He's just being stubborn right now, but he'll see that Callie's doing just that."

Callie's voice could be heard from upstairs. Addison and Naomi turned their heads in the direction of the stairs before Naomi looked back at Addison.

"Who's she talking to?"

Addison shrugged, grabbing Naomi's hand as they stood from the sofa and headed up the stairs.

Callie sat against the pillows on Addison's bed, phone to her ear, a kleenex in her free hand.

"I don't know Cristina. Tell her, tell her that um, I'm sorry and that um, you really don't know much more than that."

She sniffed her nose as she listened Cristina on the other side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean - I don't know. I don't know, I might be home soon."

She waited as Cristina talked, letting out a breath.

"It's not. He's...making it really hard. Tell Bailey that I'll call her later and not to worry."

She wiped her nose with the kleenex as she nodded her head.

"Okay. Thank you."

She clicked off the phone and dropped in onto the bed.

"Who was that?"

Callie turned her head to find Addison leaning against the doorframe with Naomi behind her.

"Cristina Yang."

"Things okay back at home?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fi - fine."

Addison sat on the bed and took her hand, wiping the younger surgeon's eyes with the other one.

"You wanna tell me what happened?"

Callie eyes went up to Naomi before casting themselves down upon the bed.

"Oh, I'll leave you two alone," Naomi said as she began to turn.

"No. You don't have to go. I'm just a little embarrassed."

"Callie Torres, you never get embarrassed," Addison teased, rewarded with a small laugh. She nodded her head at Naomi, indicating that she should sit down.

Callie looked at both of them, both good friends of Mark and smiled at her predicament. Her shoulder rose, staying just below her ears for a moment before falling back down.

"I really couldn't tell you what happened. We um," She looked at them, her mind going back a few hours ago. "We had... sex. No, it wasn't just sex it was...it was like, really beautiful, you know?"

Addison and Naomi nodded their heads as they waited for her to continue.

"Addison, I could feel everything. And the way he looked at me. Like we connected, we really connected."Her hands balled into fist as she gestured, a small shake to her voice as she spoke. "It was so intense, it was _SO INTENSE_ and amazing."

"So what happened?" Addison asked.

"He got scared. He must've gotten scared because then he was just...so cold. I made him this breakfast because he fell back asleep and I -," she swallowed as her breath caught, "went out and bought all these things that I know he likes to eat and I made him this really nice breakfast."

"Okay," Addison encouraged.

"He wouldn't even look at me. He said - he said this morning was a mistake and that it shouldn't have happened and that I shouldn't have been in his bed."

"Why were you in his bed?" Naomi asked with genuine curiosity. She was met with a cool stare by Addison.

"I - I couldn't sleep last night so I climbed into his bed. I did it without even thinking about it. I used to do it all the time. He never minded before. It probably was a stupid thing to do."

Addison kept her 'Good job, Naomi' glare on Naomi for a few seconds more before turning back to Callie.

"No, it wasn't stupid. It was something that had become so natural between you two that you didn't even have to think about it. It was probably just like you said. He got scared. We all know what he's like when he's scared."

"Yeah," Naomi added. "He doesn't always know how to handle his emotions. He was probably just caught off guard."

"But I was caught off guard too. I didn't plan it."

"We know you didn't plan it, Callie," Addison said as she scooted closer to her onto the bed.

"God, Addison. It was so intense. I never - it was never...and then he tainted it. He made it seem like it was just some random roll in the sack and that he was a man and it could've been anyone."

"He did not say that." Naomi was incredulous. She looked up at Addison with wide eyes. That was not her friend. That was not Mark.

"I couldn't stay so I left, I mean I just couldn't stay and I almost drove straight back to Seattle but I figured he wanted that. But how twisted that does sound? I don't know. Like part of me just says give up. Just give up. But then where would that leave me?" She looked at Addison as her eyes began to tear again and Addison wiped a stray tear away. "Where would that leave me, Addison? Because I love him so much. I love him so much and so much of this is my fault."

Addison wrapped her arms around Callie as Callie laid her head on her shoulder. Addison's eyes went to Naomi who looked back at her with no solution to offer. She reached out her hand to rub Callie's leg in an attempt to comfort the woman that clearly loved one of her oldest friends.

* * *

><p>Sam got off the elevator in a hurry, darting toward Mark's office. He slowed upon seeing the mess that was created, paper everywhere, broken glass. Mark was still seated in his chair, head in his hands as his elbows rested on his thighs.<p>

"Mark, what the hell happened?"He asked as he continued forward.

Mark looked up at him, eyes red and blood drained from his face.

"I'm losing it. I think I'm losing it, Sam."

Sam entered the office and walked carefully around the files on the floor. He made his way around the desk to kneel down beside his friend.

"What's going on?"

Mark turned up his blue eyes to his brown, his face grave and ashen.

"I can't...shake her off me. She's in my head, she's in my lungs. I can feel her," he said as he smacked one arm and then the other, "in my skin. I can't function, Sam. She's everywhere and I can't - deal. I can't deal."

"What do you need? What do you want me to do?"

Mark wasn't hearing him as he continued to ramble on, his eyes glazing over.

"I left. I left her in Seattle. I got rid of her. I left and I took back my pride and my dignity and I left. And then she comes and she tries to take it all back. Just like that. Just like that." he snapped his fingers with a flare of his nose. "She takes it from me."

Sam placed a hand on Mark forearm. "I don't think she's trying to take your pride, Mark. I think she's only after your heart."

"That can't be it," Mark said with a shake of his head. "Because she had that a long time ago."

Sam kept looking over his friend, Mark's face twisted every so often as a different pained emotion would take hold. He took out his phone and typed up a text message before sending it out. His attention went back to Mark.

"Let's get this cleaned up. Then we'll go out."

* * *

><p>Mark sat at the bar of Besitos, one of the new restaurants in town that he and Sam have heard Addison raving about. He nursed a glass of scotch as Sam sat beside him with a bourbon of his own. He glanced down at his phone as a text came in and glanced at the restaurant's entrance as Cooper and Pete entered. Sam waved, catching their attention and watched as the made their way over.<p>

"Hey," Pete said as he shook Sam's hand with a pat on the back. "What going on?"

Sam drew Pete close to whisper in his ear as Cooper looked over them to see Mark sitting at the bar.

"He's a little messed up. Something went down with him and Callie this morning. Found him at the office, almost trashed."

Pete looked at him as Cooper walked around them. He put his hand on Mark's back as he took a seat beside him.

"Hi, Mark. How you doing?"

Mark continued to sit without acknowledging his other friends. He took a drink after a bit and finally turned his attention to Cooper as Sam and Pete took seats at the bar.

"Charlotte ever make you insane?" he asked.

Cooper laughed as he raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Sam and Pete.

"All the time," he answered.

"No, I don't mean the - I mean literally. Literally drive you insane. Like she's haunting you or something?"

Cooper tilted his head as he brows lowered.

"No."

Mark began to laugh, turning his head to look at Pete and Sam and back to Cooper before he downed his drink. They all looked back at him unsure how to take his bought of laughter. Cooper held a finger up to the bar tender.

"Can I have a beer?"

"Make that two," Pete chimed in, leaning forward.

"I had dreams about her." Mark started, indicating to the bar tender that he wanted a refill. "For the longest time I had dreams about her."

They all listened as the bar tender slid Pete and Cooper their drinks and slid another glass over to Mark.

"Then this morning, I wake up and she's there. I thought I was dreaming." He took another drink from his glass. "But she was really there and I couldn't not. It was like a reflex. I had to touch her. I shouldn't have but I -,"

Sam, Pete and Cooper shared concerned glances. Was he admitting to something heinous?

"So you... slept with her? It was... consensual, right?" Pete said, asking the question the others were a little too afraid to voice.

"Of course it was!" Mark answered, anger rising.

"Okay, man. He was just - you were setting it up a little strange." Cooper stated, then took a drink from his beer.

It was forgiven and forgotten as Mark took another sip.

"You guys have seen her? You've all seen her right? She's - she's beautiful."

"Gorgeous," Cooper agreed.

Pete leaned back in his stool eyes on Cooper. "I'll make sure not to tell Charlotte that you're drooling over another woman."

"What? I'm not. We've all got eyes. You're telling me you don't think Callie's beautiful."

"It was the way you said it, Cooper," Sam stated.

"You could have just agreed." Peter affirmed then leaned back up in his stool to give Mark back his attention.

Mark had barely noticed as he struggled to get his thoughts together. He looked down at his drink for a long while as the other three waited for him to continue. Sam set down his drink when he didn't, twisting his stool to fully face him.

"So you slept with her," Sam said in an attempt to make Mark continue. "What happened?"

"She just... took hold of everything. She took everything." He turned to look at Sam, for the first time really looked at him. "I begged her. I begged her to be with me, to stay with me but she didn't. She went back and she took everything that I had as a man with her. And I was finally getting it back. I was getting it back and then she comes and just that, she took it. She had no right, Sam."

Mark began to lift his drink back to his lips but Sam took ahold of it and set it back down.

"Listen, Mark," he began, "I think that you're giving her more power than she actually has. I don't think that she's trying to take anything from you."

"It just seems to me," Pete said, "that she realizes she made a mistake. She knows she made the wrong choice and she just wants another chance."

"But she didn't realize that she made a mistake. She could go back anytime. I'm just the afterthought."

Cooper, Pete and Sam exchanged glances as they tried to think of something else to say.

"I think that that's just the fear talking, Mark. I think you're just scared." Sam said. "You're just scared."

* * *

><p>Naomi opened the front door of Addison's house. Violet and Charlotte stood on the other side holding a couple of cartons of ice cream and bottles of wine. Charlotte held up the wine.<p>

"The boys went out drinking, I figured we could do the same. We've got ice cream and we've got wine." Charlotte said as she and Violet made their way inside.

"I thought you didn't do sleepovers," Naomi said as she shut the door.

" I didn't say anything about sleepovers. I just said let's drink. Now it sounds to me that this Callie has had a hard day and could use a drink or two and I'm just supplying the goods."

Violet laughed as she moved past them.

"Where are they?" She asked.

"All the action's upstairs," Naomi answered before leading the way to Addison's room. "Look who's here," she said upon reentering the room.

Callie and Addison looked up from the bed as Violet and Charlotte made their way in. Violet placed one carton of ice cream on top of the other before she extended her hand out to Callie.

"Hi. We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Violet Turner."

"Hi." Callie replied, shaking her hand.

"She's our resident psychiatrist." Addison informed Callie.

Callie turned to look at her before looking back at Violet.

"A shrink? You guys think I need a shrink?"

"No, no." Violet said quickly. "I'm just here...to be...here."

"Oh. That's really kind of you but I really, I -"

"Callie," Addison said, taking her hand. "Just let them be here."

She nodded and looked down at her hands.

"I just can't imagine what you guys think of me."

"Well you can consider me a fan," Charlotte said as she set the bottles of wine on a dresser before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Any woman that has the balls enough to interrupt a business transaction just get the man she loves to listen to her, scores major points with me. Even though it could potentially cause me to lose out on a great doctor."

Callie was silent as she looked as Charlotte. She tilted her head as a smile crept onto her lips.

"I like you," Callie said simply, eliciting a small round of laughter from the others.

Violet and Charlotte played catch up quickly, learning the story of what happened between Mark and Callie earlier that day. Callie, never really amongst strangers, felt at home as they offered encouragement and told stories of their own about their loves, past and present, and the fights that went along with them. The wine flowed freely as the mood alternated between light laughter and somber sadness. Callie was feeling better but she remained stuck on how next to proceed. Addison refilled everyone's glasses as they all dipped their spoons into the carton of ice cream to scoop out the last remains. They all sat on the bed like a bunch of school girls gossiping on who had a crush on who.

"So, I'm trying to look at this from both sides," Violet said after removing a spoon from her mouth. "Mark has been here for six months and you were with -"

"Arizona." Callie answered.

"What kind of name is that?" Charlotte asked.

"She was named after a battleship. Her dad was marine. There's actually a really nice story behind it."

Violet continued, bumped shoulders with Charlotte, slightly appalled at her rudeness. "You were with Arizona. Then you had this big falling out and that's when you decided that you were in love with Mark?"

"Something like that only -"

"Only what?" Naomi asked, taking a glass from Addison as she sat back on the bed.

"I knew before that. I mean I've always loved him and he's my best friend. I just think the lines were blurred a little bit. We never had the typical relationship."

"You mean the friends with benefits?" Violet concluded.

Callie nodded.

"Those are nice." Charlotte stated earning a set of four eyes to turn to her. "What? You all know I love Cooper. We've all had a friend with benefits."

"I never did." Naomi said between sips of wine. "It was always a relationship or nothing."

"Well we can't all be prudes." Charlotte said.

Naomi scuffed boring her eyes into Addison who was trying to hide a chuckle.

"You are though, Nai. I love you but you can be."

"It's good to have well defined boundaries. There is nothing to be ashamed of," Violet consoled.

"Oh, I'm not ashamed." Naomi said with wave of her hand. "At least I never had to go on the internet to find a date. How did you and Cooper get together, by the way?"

Charlotte gave Naomi a death glare, silently counting to ten less she toss her drink in Naomi's face. Callie laughed, intrigued.

"Back to my point," Violet said, attention back on Callie. "You and Mark have this long history sleeping together without expectations. How do you know it wasn't like that this time?"

"You think it was one sided?"

"I don't think anything. I'm just, like I said, trying to look at it from both sides. How do you know that it wasn't?"

Callie bit down on her bottom lips as the others waited for her answer. She peered down at her glass of wine and set it on the nightstand. The others looked at each other unsure before turning their eyes back to her. A smile began to form on Callie's face as her chocolate eyes raised to look directly at them all.

"He cried."

"He cried?" Addison and Charlotte questioned at the same time.

Callie swallowed as she nodded her head, her smile becoming bigger.

"He cried. And I held him. It had been so intense. It was so beautiful. It was...not one sided."

They were all quiet as they reflected on this new bit of information.

"Sam cried." Naomi informed.

"He did?" Addison asked, turning her head toward her.

She nodded her head. "On our wedding night."

"Pete did too," said Violet.

Charlotte finished off her drink as silence returned.

"Well damn," she said, forgetting that she had drunk the last her wine. "I need some more."

"That was the last of it." Addison said.

"Both of them?"

"Both of them."

Naomi, Violet, Charlotte and Addison looked down at their empty glasses, all suddenly very thirsty.

"I think I have some tequila downstairs," Addison said.

"Yes, tequila! That'll work."Charlotte enthused, extending her empty glass to Addison who took it with a roll of her eyes.

Addison scooted off of the bed and began to make her way to the door.

"I'll help you," Naomi said, joining her.

"I have to pee," Violet said after the two had left and made her way into the bathroom.

Callie and Charlotte were left remaining. Charlotte looked at Callie with scrunched up brows as she worried the inside of her cheek.

"He cried, huh?"

"Yep."

Callie couldn't help but smile as Charlotte couldn't quite get over that bit of information. Her cell's vibration filled the silence in the room. Without thought, Charlotte reached over to grab it off the nightstand, reading the text message that had popped onto the screen. 'Callie, baby. I don't understand what happened. Please call me. Tell me where you are.' Callie snatched the phone quickly from Charlotte's hand but she had already seen it.

Charlotte green eyes turned up at Callie in confusion.

"Why is your ex sending you text messages and calling you baby?"

"I think you read it wrong."

"I know exactly what I read." she said, waiting for a response that never came. "You haven't been telling the whole story, have you? There was no big blowout with you and this...Arizona, was there?"

"It doesn't matter."

"I think it does. In fact, I think it would make the world of difference. You defended her."

"What?"

"You defended her when I mocked her name earlier. Now call me petty, but I don't have a nice thing to say about any one of my exes. You sure as hell wouldn't find me defending them even if there was a beautiful story behind it."

"I'd love it, if you could just pretend you never saw anything. It's complicated."

Charlotte looked at her. She couldn't decided whether to be intrigued or skeptical.

"I have a strong suspicion that whatever it is you're not saying is going to come out."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"You'll be coming to it a lot sooner than you think. I've played the secret's game. They always come out."

"I'm not keeping secrets, Charlotte."

"Okay. Well, my lips are sealed."

"Okay!" Addison said entering the room after Naomi. "We've got tequila and we've got limes. Did we miss anything?"

Callie looked at Charlotte then turned toward Addison.

"Nope. Not at all," Charlotte answered.

* * *

><p>Cooper, Pete, Sam and Mark sat at a booth in Besitos, their dinner eaten long ago. Their drinks of choice sat in front of them. Whatever demon that had tortured Mark earlier had seemingly been content to leave him alone for the time being. He looked better, color returning to his cheeks and his eyes were now clear.<p>

"What do ya think, Mark? Should we do another round?" Cooper asked, arm resting on the back of the booth.

"Yeah, sure," he said as he sat back.

Cooper waved at the waiter as he sat forward looking back at Mark. He grew silent as he stared at his drink.

"Mark?"

"How can I go back?" Mark asked to no one in particular. "She thinks I called her a whore. But it came out wrong. I would never call her a whore. She's not one. How can I go back when she thinks that's what I said?"

"Just apologize." Sam suggested, holding his glass as the waiter poured his drink.

"You didn't see her eyes, Sam. I can still see them. She left. What if she doesn't come back? What if she really thinks that I think that about her and she doesn't come back?"

"She's not going anywhere. She made that pretty clear yesterday," Pete said, his hand on Mark's shoulder.

"I've never felt like this before. I never had someone grip me from the inside out."

"That's love, my friend," Sam said with a laugh. "It's a bitch."

A small laugh was permitted to escape Mark, his first in a long while.

"It's a bitch," he repeated.

"Just go back and be honest." Cooper said. "Tell her you love her. Women always forgive will they hear the magic words."

Mark walked into his home, his head cleared from the fog of the morning yet somehow feeling that the air had shifted. He looked around, checking into the living room and then in the kitchen. Everything was still there. Even the breakfast that had been prepared and left entirely untouched this morning. He walked back to the guest room. The bed was made up. He looked into the closet. Her suitcase was gone. It was then that he realized that her car hadn't been parked in the front.

"Callie?" He called out, receiving no reply.

His heart began to race. She had left, he knew she would. Why wouldn't she? Right when she snuck inside his veins again, right when he had become hooked.

"Callie!" He called out again, making his way into his room. There was no sign of her there. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. It was sent straight to voicemail. He dialed it again only to receive the same outcome.

The knot returned to his stomach and he felt sick. He had lied. He hadn't wanted her to go. How could he have been so stupid? He shouldn't have let her go.

He couldn't remember the drive over to Addison's. He had been on autopilot the moment he had stepped foot in his house with his heart lodged in the back of his throat. Addison opened the door unable to get a word out as Mark made his way in.

"She left." He said, his voice in panic.

"What?"

"Callie. She left. She left me. Again!"

"Mark -"

"I was so stupid. I was so stupid, Addison."

She shut the door and went to him, taking him by the arm.

"Come on, let's - let's sit down."

"No, I can't sit down! Did you talk to her? Did she call you?"

He held her by the arms. She was too busy trying to understand what Mark was saying to respond right away.

"She, um -"

"I let her leave. I wanted her to. I thought I wanted her to. But now I want her back. I need her back. Will you help me get her back? She'll listen to you, Addison. I need her back."

"She didn't leave." The words had come from Charlotte who stood on the stairs along with Violet and Naomi. Callie had made it further down the steps, both of her hands clinging to the banister as Mark turned to see her.

His breathing stopped when he did, her eyes watching every move he made. He swallowed, releasing Addison to make his way over to her. She remained on the stairs. His eyes stayed fixed on hers as relief flooded over him.

"She was just going to stay here for a little while," Addison finally managed.

But he didn't turn back to acknowledge her. He couldn't, his eyes were fixed on Callie. His arms went up on his sides before falling back down again.

"You were right," he began. "I got scared. I'm still scared. But I love you and I don't know what to do about it. I don't know how to be. It's just - I can feel you all over me, Cal. I can't get you off. I don't want you off. You're apart of me. And that scares me. It scares me so much, Callie because I don't have any control. I love you so much, and I don't know how to be...without you. I don't know how to be."

They all watched as Callie lingered at her post for a second more before she fully descended the stairs and made her way over the him. She took his face in her hands, her thumbs wiping away tears as their eyes stayed connected. His hands wrapped around her wrists.

"Come back." He said. "Will you come back?"

She smiled as she nodded her head, leaning up to capture his lips with hers. She leaned back, wiping away more tears.

"I'll go get my things." She said and then kissed him again.

He watched as she made her back back up the stairs, past Violet, Naomi and Charlotte, all of whose eyes were stuck on him. He swallowed and then wiped his nose.

"I like her, Mark." Charlotte said. "So make sure you two get your crap together."

He gave a small chuckle as the three ladies made their way down the steps to join Addison.

"I like her too, Mark." Naomi said, squeezing his shoulder and then kissed the side of his head. "She's a keeper."

"You know, if you do end up staying in LA, the practice could always use an orthopedic surgeon." Charlotte said.

"Charlotte, I think they have other things to work through first." Violet stated.

"I'm just saying..."

Callie made her way downstairs carrying her suitcase with both hands on the handle. He walked around the ladies and took the suitcase from her.

"You ready?" He asked.

She nodded.

Addison opened the front door as Mark made his way out. Callie turned back.

"Addison -"

"Don't you dare thank me." Addison commanded before pulling her into a hug. "You crazy kids have a good night."

Callie smiled and waved at the other ladies before making her way out. Addison shut the door behind her and leaned against it, looking over to Naomi, Violet and Charlotte. She looked exhausted.

"There's still a sleepover though, right?" Charlotte asked in all seriousness.

Addison laughed. "I'll order a pizza."


	6. Chapter 6

Mark set down the suitcase as he entered the house. The ride home had been quiet as hurt feelings still lingered in the air. Callie spent the drive trying to steady the fast pace of her heart and struggled to breathe evenly as she fought tears that wanted to emerge but ultimately didn't. He glanced over to her every other second and watched as she'd fumble with her fingers in her lap as she looked out the window. He wanted to grab her hand, kiss it, but his nerves didn't allow his hands to let go of his cold grip of the steering wheel. He stepped back as she made her way in, her eyes meeting his for just a brief moment. She was almost hesitant. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe she should have stayed with Addison for just a little while until the dust settled. Maybe they should spend a little time a part.

"Callie?"

Callie turned back to answer only to find herself pressed against the door, his lips on hers. It had surprised her but as their mouths opened wider she relaxed, feeling the beat of his heart as he pressed against her. He broke the kiss, his tongue going over his lips as he leaned his forehead against hers, looking her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I was so stupid. I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never mean to hurt you. All these feelings were so...unexpected and I - I'm sorry."

It was what she needed to hear and his words washed over her, renewing her certainty that this was right, that she belonged there with him. Her shoulders lowered as her hand went against his cheek, her thumb rubbing across his mouth. He took her hand in both his, kissing her palm first before leading her into the living room. He sat on the sofa, pulling her with him to sit in his lap, both her legs going on either of his as she faced him, her hands resting on his upper arms.

"Are you scared?" he asked her, reading her over as he held her.

"I don't want us to be ruined. I'm scared to lose you," she answered.

Mark's hands rubbed her back as they looked at each other. The last several days had been a roller coaster of emotions and events that left them both on edge, doubts plaguing the back of both their minds as they fought with each other and for each other. It had been a battle of wills and pride but it was love that ultimately won and cast everything else aside.

"That's my biggest fear," he said. "Losing you. It hurts a lot."

She knew his pain and felt it too. Six agonizing months of it.

"I know."

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"There's a lot to talk about," he said, getting a nod in reply. "There's so much to work through."

She looked at him as her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth. She had so much to say, to tell and it had been all pushed down and avoided. She could say it now, now that he was ready to listen, ready to hear her explain. But she couldn't. It had been such a trying day and she was tired. She'd rather spend the night looking at him.

"Can we," she finally said, "can we start tomorrow?" She swallowed as his fingers played in her hair. "Can you just hold me?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.

"Tighter." She said.

He squeezed her tight as she let out a sigh.

"Better?"

"Mmmm."

Mark held her tight for several minutes, listening as she breathed in and out. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest as her fingers rubbed at the nape of his neck. His hand went up and down her back as she took in a sharp breath, her body shaking as she began to cry. He squeezed her tighter as he felt her hot tears land onto his shirt. She hadn't realized how scared she had gotten. She had been so determined to win him back that the possibility that she wouldn't be able to had been forgotten. But it had been there, in the back of her mind, never having him back, never being held by him again. So she cried as the relief washed over her, as his strong arms held her and for the first time since her arrival, she no longer had to fight. He was hers again. The fight had left her bare and exhausted, but he was hers again.

She leaned back, his hands going to her face to wipe the tears away. Her hands wrapped around his wrists as he did so, a smile on her face. She was stunning, even through her tears. He felt whole again as he held her and he thanked whatever god or deity that had brought her back to him. He smiled back, unsure of what he did to ever have her in the first place.

She leaned in to kiss him. It was without thought or hesitation. It wasn't fraught with urgency or need, just love, the emotion that had come the most natural to them both. It was almost languid except it was a way for her to transfer everything that was in her heart to his. The kiss deepened slowly as her arms made their way back around his neck and his around her waist. She scooted further down his lap as much she could, enjoying the ease in which their bodies molded together.

He laid her down on the couch as the kiss continued, each taking their time to revel in it. His fingers undid the buttons of her shirt, lingering over her skin as more flesh was unveiled. Callie's fingers tangled in his hair as his lips trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck, between her breasts and down her stomach. She smiled as his tongue made circles around her belly button before a kiss was placed there as well. He raised himself to pull his shirt over his head, tossing it aside before looking back down at her. There was a playfulness in her eyes that was rewarded with a grin. He lowered himself back down to her but jerked his head when she tried to meet him for a kiss. She smiled, raising her head again only for him to allow a single brush of his bottom lip against her top. He smirked when she lifted the famous eye brow and he felt her hands on his zipper.

"Watdoya think you're doing?" he asked, pinning her hands above her head.

"Nothing apparently."

His grin became a smile as he lowered his head for a kiss, but it was her turn to avoid it, turning her head away. He went for her neck instead, sucking lightly on the spot that always made her writhe.

"Cheater," she teased as she sucked in air, her back arching to his touch.

His mouth was on hers again, her hands held by one of his hands as his other went to her zipper, sliding it down. His hand was slow as it went over the red lace of her underwear. His mouth went to her ear, biting down on her lope before letting it slip free.

"Someone's excited," he whispered, seduction dripping from his tongue.

She turned her head to look at him, defiance on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He played along, running his hand over the material a few moments more before moving his hand to the inside of it. He watched her face as her breath stopped and she fought to inhale and exhale. He grinned down at her as she did, her eyes closing as his middle finger drew small circles over her.

"Such a cheater,"she moaned.

Mark released her hands, his mouth falling on hers as his other hand continued its assault. She whimpered into the kiss when he removed his hand, lifting her to slide the shirt from her shoulders. It slid to the floor as well as her bra once it was undid. She climbed on top of him as they returned to their original position on the sofa. Her mouth moved to his neck, her tongue licking him as her fingers felt over his chest. Her mouth dropped down lower to kiss over each of his nipples, smiling up at him as he laughed. He was always oddly ticklish there. She returned her lips to his as her fingers continued to play over them before sliding down over his abdomen. He broke the kiss with a grin when her hands were once again on his zipper. She tilted her head as her eyebrows rose, fighting back a laugh as his eyes narrowed. Her hands teased him over the material of his jeans before she dipped her fingers between the silk of his boxers. Their eyes stayed on each other as she held him in her hand, her thumb grazing his tip with deliberate slowness. His hips bucked reflexively, lifting her in his lap before settling back down. His hands were on her back but his fingers began to dig into her flesh as her other hand joined in, torturing him with long slow strokes up and down. He bucked again when she cupped him, his breathing becoming labored as their eyes stayed on each other, a grin spreading wider on her lips.

"Who's cheating now?" he asked between breaths.

She didn't answer. She only continued to watch him as her hands stroked him, rising and falling in his lap each time he shifted. They were playing a game, one she always won but not from lack of valiant effort on his part, but because the odds were always stacked against him. She had the hair and the eyes and the lips with that smile, and the breasts and the hips and the legs and those hands. She was impressed at how long he was able to hold out, increasing the pace of her strokes as her thumb went back and forth over the tip. He lurched, crashing his mouth on hers before placing her on her back. She yelped at the sudden movement, laughing as he lifted himself to tug the jeans from her body.

"You're evil, you know that?" he asked through her laughter, sliding the red lace down her legs.

He didn't have the patience to free himself of his jeans, allowing them to pool below his hips before he was over her again. Their tongues wrestled as he tugged her along the cushions of the sofa. But she hadn't won just yet. She felt him against her but he was in no hurry to enter her, instead allowing himself to rub between her warm folds. She moaned her frustration, wrapping her legs around him only for him to lift his hips away. Her head dropped back into the cushions as she pouted. Callie's hands went between their bodies but his hands caught them, his fingers entwining with her after pinning them above her head again. Damn him and his man strength. He was really trying to win this thing.

"Give in, Sloan," she purred, squeezing his waist with her thighs.

But he shook his head, his lips going to her neck, sucking gently as his tongue flicked her skin repeatedly. She began to writhe, lifting her hips to touch his throbbing shaft. His head dropped at the touch but he was determined and simply scooted further down the couch. His hands held her upper arms in place as he continued to suck, sliding down to her breasts to take a hardened nipple into his mouth.

"Fuck," she whimpered as he took his time, her back arching against her will.

He smiled as his teeth kneaded it before his entire mouth was over it, sucking and tasting with leisure. She thought he was done when he kissed it but he only went to the other to do it all over again. She wanted to pout but the sensations were setting her body on fire. He rubbed her core with his knee, the fabric only increasing the sensations as she took in a sharp breath. The lids of her eyes lifted to catch him smirk above her. She was in a state between bliss and being pissed off. Her head lifted suddenly, her body twisting as she tried to get free from under him. He was caught off guard as he lost his hold. They both screamed when they tumbled from the sofa to land on the floor. Her laugh rang out loudly as she landed on top of him. He joined her after the shock wore off, his hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No!" he teased, his hand continuing to rub the back of his head.

She replaced his hand with hers, rubbing on the spot.

"Awwww."

"Shut up."

She laughed again, pulling at his arms so that he sat up as he held her. She lifted herself as she turned his head to take a look, her fingers slowly rubbing at a small knot that had formed.

"I'm sorry,"she cooed.

"Yeah right. You meant to do that," he playfully accused as he rolled his eyes.

"I did not. Here," she said before placing a kiss on his cheek. "All better?"

He pouted, his bottom lip poking out as he shook his head no.

Callie kissed his extended lip, looking at him as it was pulled back in. She kissed him again and watched as his frown disappeared.

"Better?"

"A little," he answered, his voice low and deep, his eyes on her mouth.

She rolled her eyes before kissing him again. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked on it, his tongue going over it. She smiled as the kiss deepened, adjusting herself as her legs went over his hips. She broke the kiss, laughing out loud as he struggled to kick his jeans free. Once they were off, her mouth was on his again, her fingers playing over his chest as he held her with one hand, the other extended behind him on the floor. He raised it to scoot the coffee table away, turning them so that his back was against the sofa.

"Should we - " she began.

"No." he answered quickly.

"Are you -"

"Yes."

His hand tangled in her hair as the kiss continued. She scooted further up his legs as the went out behind her, her hands trailing down his body until she found him again, hard and throbbing. He looked at her with a smile, giving up. She raised herself as he slid in slowly, holding onto her lower back. She lowered her body inch by inch, their eyes locked until he was completely inside her.

Her arms wrapping around his shoulders as they rocked back and forth, sucking along his jaw as they went. The pace increased quickly, their bodies slapping against each other as they held on. A moan she was trying to quiet escaped, brushing past his ear. It only served as encouragement as each thrust met each one of hers. Her nails scraped along the nape of his neck, a small fist of his hair in her hand. She leaned back to let a hand rest on the floor. He kissed her below her chin, licking along her neck, both his arms wrapping tightly around her as shallow thrusts went deeper. She raised herself higher before allowing him to rebury himself in her. She wanted more, her arm leaving the floor to go back around his shoulder, nails digging. Her breath caught as he slammed into her, grunts pouring from his lips like a lullaby. It wasn't enough for either of them as they sped up.

He lowered her onto her back, pushing the coffee table further away. His mouth stifled a cry as he kissed her, feeling himself go even deeper. She held onto the backs of his thighs as he went, her hips lifting to meet him somewhere in the middle. She felt good. She felt so good. She squeezed him tighter between her thighs as she began to tremble. He could feel himself coming closer, sucking the side of her neck before burying his head in the crook of it. A few more deep thrusts and they erupted together, sounds of pleasure leaving their mouths without thought or care. He was hers again indeed. And she was his.

* * *

><p>They laid with their bodies entwined, sheets and pillows brought in from the bedroom after going another round. Callie's head rested on his chest, her hair fanning over him and the pillow as their fingers played together on his stomach. They were both reflecting, their bodies spent, sighs let out every once and a while. Mark looked down at her, his hand rubbing over her shoulder and upper arm as she watched their fingers dance. A question was growing in his mind. He thought it better to leave it alone until things settled a little more but it kept going around in his thoughts.<p>

"Callie?"

"Mmm?"

"What do you think of LA? Do you like it here?"

He felt as her fingers went limp in his. She thought for a moment, not entirely sure of how to answer. She had made her position pretty clear yesterday.

"It's nice," she finally answered, not looking up at him.

He swallowed, silence enveloping them.

"Could you see yourself living here?"

Her head finally raised at this, her brows dipping as she looked at him.

"In LA?"she asked.

"Yeah."

She looked back down, her fingers resuming their play with his. She thought it over. There was a bit of a mess she left back in Seattle, loose ends that needed to be tied. She could avoid it all together if she stayed in LA, have her things sent to her. Surgeries could be performed anywhere and living here would allow her to focus more on her research. She'd miss her friends though and the weather. She wasn't really the sunshine all the time kind of girl. She'd rarely ever be able to sport her favorite black leather jacket.

"Callie?" Mark said, drawing Callie from her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

He chuckled, knowing her thoughts probably had taken her to the moon and back.

"What are you thinking?"

"I..." she trailed off, dropping her fingers from his as she turned, her chin resting on his chest to look at him. "You like it here don't you?"

He did but in the back of his head he liked that there was no competition to contend with. He believed that she loved him but the threat left him unsettled. They could start over here, no reminders of pain lurking around a corner.

"I do," he answered. "I pretty much make my own schedule and the people I work with are amazing. They like you."

"Hmm, I like them too. I like that you weren't alone here. I'm glad that you had Addison and Sam and everyone else."

He brushed back hair from her eyes.

"You'd fit right in."

She smiled at his touch, staring at his steel blue eyes as they sparkled down at her.

"Do you want to stay?"She asked, raising herself to look more directly at him.

"I think so," he answered after a pause.

She swallowed. That settled it.

"You stay, I stay."

He smiled a toothy smile. "Yeah?"

She nodded, sincere to her word. They kissed.

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>He awoke to a buzzing phone. Callie lay draped over him, small snores escaping as she continued to sleep. He took in a deep breath, hugging her tighter as he settled in the hopes that the phone would shut up. It wouldn't. He yawned, stretching out his arm, careful not to disturb Callie. His eyes scanned over the floor for the offending device, landing on his jeans that were just beyond the coffee table at the opposite end of him. He kissed Callie's forehead before gently rolling her off of him and stood to walk over to his pants. He dug in his pocket, pulling out the phone but the buzzing phone hadn't been his. He looked over to find Callie's jeans, putting on his boxers before picking them up to dig out the phone. It vibrated in his hand, Arizona's name flashing over the screen. His heart stopped. What did she want? He waited patiently as the phone stopped buzzing, a new missed call flashing up on the screen. She had three of them, along with voice mail messages and unread texts. The phone buzzed again. New voice message. He wanted to set the phone down but curiosity got the best of him and his thumb ran across the screen to unlock it.<p>

There were texts from Cristina, a few from Bailey and other friends but the bulk had come from Arizona. His heart began to beat again, but it was racing as it pounded in his chest. He read over the latest one. 'Callie, baby. I don't understand what happened. Please call me. Tell me where you are.' He went to the next one. 'I know Cristina and Miranda know something. Why would you tell them and not me?' 'I don't deserve this, Callie. I don't know what I did wrong. Please call.' 'Are you okay? Just let me know if you're okay.' 'Baby, what happened? Where'd you go?' 'I found the note. What are you sorry about? What happened?' 'I came home last night and you weren't there. Should I be scared? Where are you?'

He read them over and over again. Did she just leave? There was no mention of a fight in the text, but there must have been one. Why else would she just leave? And without telling Arizona? He jumped when his phone began to ring, answering it quickly to silence the ring.

"Hello?" he whispered with a raspy voice, glancing back at Callie as she shifted but didn't awaken. He walked out of the living room and headed toward the kitchen.

"Mark?" The voice from the other end came from Arizona, making him freeze in his tracks.

"Arizona?"

She was silent a moment before she answered back. "Yeah, um...this might be, um -" she let out a labored breath. "Is Callie with you?"

He was silent as he held the phone to his ear, his heartbeat not slowing.

"I mean I think I know that she's with you but...I don't know for sure. I called her parents and they're not my biggest fans but I believe them when they said she wasn't there and I'm kinda praying that she's not with you but I don't know where else she would be so..." her rambling trailed off.

He stood, trying to process the information. He continued his way into the kitchen.

"Mark?"

It wasn't making the most sense to him. Callie's impulsive but she doesn't just leave. What the hell had Arizona done to her? Air made its way through his lips as he sat at the bar. "What you two fight about now, Robbins?" As soon as he asked her, he realized that Callie had never answered the question when he had posed it to her just a few days earlier.

"Is that was she told you?" Arizona asked, her voice strained. He could tell that she was crying.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There was no fight. There was no argument. There was nothing. I don't know what happened. I thought we were fine. I thought we were happy. I was -" her voice broke as she spoke. She drew in a breath. "I was going to ask her to marry me."

His racing heart stopped yet again. The thought of Callie marrying someone else...he couldn't finish the thought. Everything had been fine? She just left? It didn't make any sense.

"Could you just tell me if she's there with you so I don't have to call the police or something," Arizona begged.

Callie walked into the kitchen clad in only her red lace underwear. He turned back as she entered, her feet dragging as she tried to shake off sleep. He turned back sure his face would give him away.

"I - um" Mark started, jumping slightly when Callie wrapped her arms around him from behind, taking a playful bite out of his shoulder. She kissed the side of his head, releasing him to go to the refrigerator and take out some orange juice. "Yeah," he finally answered.

The line went dead on the other end as he continued to hold the phone to his ear. Not much of anything was making sense to him.

"Do you want some?"

Mark turned toward Callie who was holding a carton of orange juice and a glass. He shook his head.

"What's wrong with you? You look like you've just seen a ghost. Who was that?"

He watched her poured a glass as he set the phone down. She took a sip before putting the carton back into the fridge. She took another sip, walking over to him, a sleepy grin on her face. She leaned into him, kissing his lips as his arms wrapped around her.

"That was Arizona...Robbins." He stated it simply, his eyes locked with hers, watching as the grin fell from her face.

"What?"

"I think you heard me."

Her eyes stayed on his until a chill went through her. He dropped his arms at his sides as she backed away from him.

"Why is she calling you?" she asked, setting the glass on the counter. She suddenly felt cold.

"You tell me." He answered.

He waited as she disappeared from the kitchen only to return with a sheet wrapped around her. She stood before him, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

"There was no fight was there?"

She looked at him a moment, wishing she could read his mind. She was going to tell him, but things had been so...She shook her head no.

"There was no big dramatic break up?"

Her head shook again. He didn't know what to think. What was this? What had they been doing the past few days?

"Are you still with her?" he asked, his voice incredulous.

"No!"

"What the hell is going on, Torres?"

She inhaled deeply, not exactly sure where to start.

"I-I hadn't meant to just leave her like that. I know she didn't deserve that, but I just...couldn't stay there."

"So you just, what? You just left?"

"I waited. I mean I tried to wait but her surgery ran long and I got anxious and then I got scared that she'd talk me out of it again, so I -"

"What do you mean, talk you out of it again? What does that mean?"

Her shoulders raised and lowered as his eyes bore into her. She didn't want to cause him anymore pain.

"Mark -"

"What did you mean, talk you out of it again?"

"You left and moved to here. You said you were, but I didn't believe you and then you were gone and I -" her breath hitched as she spoke, her words falling out quickly. She tried to swallow but she wasn't able to as a lump made a home in her throat.

His stomach began to flutter as he began to feel sick.

"I went after you."

He was afraid she was going to say that. Six months of hell and the entire time spent thinking she had given him no thought.

"I finished my surgery and I heard Derek talking to the Chief and I couldn't believe it, that you just left, so I went after you. But I was so stupid about it because I didn't have anything. I just had my keys and my phone so I drove. I drove and I drove but I only made it sixty miles before my damn car ran out of gas. I was in the middle of nowhere. I called you. I called and I called and I called and you wouldn't answer."

He had thrown his phone out of the window that day, annoyed by Derek's pleas for him to reconsider. He hadn't gotten any of her calls.

"I sat there for hours. I thought maybe you were with a patient and maybe you'd call me back. But you never did."

Mark wanted to vomit. His hand rubbed his stomach as it continued to flutter. Her eyes began to well.

"So finally I called Cristina but I was a little hysterical because you were gone and I couldn't get to you, so I wasn't able to explain myself properly and so when she came to get me, she brought Arizona with her. And she knew. Arizona knew that I was going after you. So she said that it was okay and that she loved me. She said that you deserved a new start and a chance to be happy and that it was good for you to go. Then she made all these promises about how happy we'd be. And that I just needed to give it a chance." She shrugged a shoulder as she chewed the inside of her cheek. "And the whole time I was praying for the phone to ring, but you wouldn't call me back. So I did. I went back with her."

Mark cleared his throat, his mind rewinding the last six months. If he hadn't have thrown out his phone. If he waited until after she had gotten out of surgery to leave. If he hadn't have deleted all those emails and voicemails. If he hadn't have let his stupid pride dictate his every decision! He could have been with her. They could have been together. They could have been happy.

"So what happened?"

Another breath was let out as she watched him, pain playing over his face as he clutched at his stomach.

"We were happy," she answered. "She was the perfect girlfriend. We'd go out with friends or to see a movie or go out dancing. We'd stay in, make love. We were happy. I - I thought we were happy."

A single tear made its way down his cheek as he listened to her, his blue eyes begging her to stop but he kept his mouth closed so that she'd continue.

"Then um, I was cleaning the apartment. We had gone shopping and I was putting some things away. I was hanging up some clothes in her closet and this little black velvet box," She gestured with her hands as her voice broke. "This little black velvet box fell off the closet shelf. There was this really beautiful engagement ring inside. It was so beautiful. I just couldn't believe it."

"You knew that she was going to ask you to marry her?"

She nodded.

"I just kept staring at the ring. And then I had this image," She gave a small laugh as she recalled it. "Arizona and I were at this fancy party or something. Celebrating somebody for some achievement. I had on this fancy dress with pearls around my neck and I was sitting in the corner as she entertained. I was bored out of my mind. And um, we had a son. And he had these perfect creases in his pants and he wore a bow tie and had the perfect hair cut and said things like, 'yes, mother.'" Another small laugh as her eyes met his again. "I was mortified."

Mark tried to laugh too, but it caught in his throat as his lips twisted.

"But then I imagined that the ring came from you. And I had this image of us at a fancy party and I had on a sexy dress." She smiled at the word sexy, her hand waving dismissively. "And I was standing by your side as you rested your hand on my hip. Everyone was laughing and having a good time as we entertained. And then um, we had these kids. They should have been in bed but they were running around, chasing each other and screaming. And we were laughing at them."

Her eyes met his again. "I wanted that. I wanted that and I never wanted anything more. So...I waited for Arizona to come home but I just couldn't wait so I was going to write her a letter but I don't know how to break someone's heart in a letter so I just wrote, I'm sorry and packed a suitcase and um, you know the rest." She looked down at the floor, quietly taking in a breath before looking back up to him. "You weren't my safety net, Mark. Arizona was. I was scared that day, when you told me that you were in love with me. I was afraid to ruin it, to lose you, but then you left and I just knew that I couldn't live without you."

Mark stood from his stool, taking her face in his hands. He couldn't believe it. She had come after him. He kissed her, a sob escaping as he did. He hadn't been second choice. He hadn't been an afterthought.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He cried. "I was so cruel to you."

"You were so angry and so hurt. Justifiably hurt. You wouldn't have heard me. You weren't ready to hear me."

"I can't believe how I treated you," he said with a trembling voice.

But she shushed him, shaking her head as she leaned up for another kiss. The sheet dropped as she wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her tight completely overwhelmed. She pulled back, laughing as she wiped the tears from his face.

"I don't think we've done enough of this," she teased, finally allowing him to laugh.

He kissed her again before looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

"So you saw kids, huh?"

She nodded. "Three. And they all had my hair because...well because my hair is badass."

He laughed.

"But they all had your nose and your ears."

"Blue or brown eyes."

She smiled with a shrug. "Brown eyes are dominate."

He kissed her again, mouths opening wide to allow the passion to deepen. He broke the kiss, holding her close as she rested her head on his chest.

"You have to call Robbins back."

She nodded against him.

"I had planned on going back to Seattle."

"We'll go back," he said.

She raised her head to look at him, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"What?"

"We'll go back. Seattle's our home. LA's nice but it was an escape. There's no reason to escape anymore. Besides, I had always pictured my kids growing up with Derek's."

She laughed, her hair falling into her eyes.

"Really?" she asked just to make sure.

"Really," he confirmed, kissing the side of her head.

[Epilogue coming soon]


	7. Chapter 7

Epilogue

The Oceanside Wellness doctors packed into Addison's house, some spilling onto her back terrace, laughing, the sun setting as Sam handled the grill.

"I like mine rare!" Charlotte called out from her lawn chair, wine in hand.

"I heard you the first fifty times, Charlotte," Sam called back.

Naomi laughed, rubbing his back before he smiled up at her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"What time do you say they were coming?" Cooper asked Addison from his seat as she walked out of the house holding two new bottles of champagne.

"Mark said they were just coming off the exit just a little while ago." Addison answered as Naomi freed her of one of the bottles.

"Can you believe how long it's been?" Violet asked Pete as she leaned into him. He rubbed her back as she rested her head against his chest.

"Yeah, but I'm happy for him," he answered.

"Me too."

They all looked at each other as the door bell sounded, their excitement palpable.

"That's them!" Addison yelled, setting her bottle on a table and headed back into the house. Naomi and Charlotte joined her, making their way through the kitchen and living room to get to the front door.

"Oh my god!" Charlotte spoke excitedly. "Look how big you are! We're gonna have another one in the group."

"God, Charlotte," Naomi scolded, giving Mark a big hug before waiting her turn to hug Callie as Addison hugged her.

"I know! I just blew up," Callie said with a laugh, her hand rubbing over her extending belly before hugging Naomi.

"You look like you're ready to pop. You sure you're only six months along?" Charlotte asked, patting Mark on the shoulder.

"Yes, we're sure." Mark answered as he hugged Addison. "Where is everyone?"

"They're all in the back," Naomi informed them as they stepped through the door. "You have bags?"

"Yeah, I'll get them later." Mark said.

"Hey! Look who it is!" Sam greeted Mark as he stepped out onto the terrance. "Where's the wife?"

"Using the bathroom. We would have been here sooner if we didn't have to stop every fifteen minutes." Mark said as Sam set down spatula and pulled him into a hug.

"Ah, yes. I remember that well."

Cooper handed Mark a beer as he headed further onto the terrace, taking a seat next to Pete.

"Thank you."

"You look good, man. Got a little pale though," Pete teased before bumping beer bottles with him.

Mark laughed, taking sip from his.

"What are you having?" Violet asked. "Do you know yet?"

"I want to know, but she wants it to be a surprised. She's calling it a boy today."

Violet laughed, raising herself off of Pete to take a drink from her champagne. "I remember that."

"There she is!" Cooper announced as Callie, Naomi and Charlotte came out of the house.

Callie gave Sam a hug before waddling over to the others.

"You're only six months?" Violet gasped.

"Can you believe it? And Cooper wants to put one of those in me." Charlotte said.

Cooper laughed as he rolled his eyes and took a drink from his beer.

"Pregnancy will look amazing on you Charlotte. Just as it does Callie."

Charlotte rolled her eyes as Callie kissed him on the cheek as a reward.

"He's kicking, do you wanna feel?"

The question was meant for Cooper, but Naomi, Addison, Pete, Charlotte and Cooper all placed their hands on her belly to feel the kick.

"Ohhhh!" They all awed at the same time.

"That's a soccer player in there!" Cooper announced.

"Now, why does it have to be a soccer player? That's racist!" Charlotte stated, swatting her husband. "It could be a football player or a doctor even."

Callie laughed as she looked at Mark who rolled his eyes before kissing her on the lips. Naomi rolled her eyes as well, going back over to Sam.

"Okay!" Sam yelled out. "Let's eat!"

Candles decorated the terrance as the porch light kept it well lit as the sun finally set. They all ate and laughed merrily, playing catch up on the events that occurred over the past six months.

"Africa's a long way to go to escape getting your heart broken." Charlotte said as she set down her fork and leaned back against Cooper.

"She always wanted to be there, though. I mean she only came back because... She's doing really amazing things over there." Callie said solemnly, looking down at her plate.

Mark rubbed her back with a smile. She turned to him with a small pout before smiling back at him and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Africa needs good doctors over there. I really enjoyed my time there," Pete said.

"God bless," Charlotte cooed.

Sam's plate tinged as he dropped his fork, sitting up straight.

"Okay! It just got too serious. The volleyball net is set up. Let's play!" Sam stood, pulling Naomi and Addison with him.

"It's dark!" Called scoffed as Pete and Cooper stood as well.

Charlotte waved her hand. No way was so playing!

"Makes it even more fun." Sam said, walking toward the house to grab the volleyball that sat on just the inside of the sliding doors.

"Are you playing?" Callie asked Mark as he stood.

"It'll be fun. You'll have to be the odd man out," he answered, raising his hands to catch the ball Sam threw to him.

"How exciting," Callie responded dryly.

"I'll sit out too. I just got my nails done." Charlotte announced.

Cooper shook his head. His wife, ladies and gentlemen.

"Then we won't be even," Addison said, putting down her glass of wine.

"Then I'll sit out too," Violet volunteered.

"A bunch of party poopers we're married to," Cooper said, earning a swat to his rear from his wife.

"Ooooooo!" Callie and Violet cried out after Naomi served the ball over the net to Cooper whose attention was elsewhere. It smacked him square in the face.

They sat in lawn chairs, draped with blankets along with Charlotte as Naomi, Mark and Sam played on one team and Addison, Pete and Cooper played on the other. Charlotte clutched her stomach as her mouth opened wide, silent for only a moment before a hearty laugh escaped.

"Thanks for the support, honey!" Cooper cried out, his hand holding his nose as he bent over.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Naomi asked running over from the other side of the net.

Charlotte's laugh continued to ring out. Violet pushed her shoulder which only made her laugh harder. Callie bit down on her lip to stop from joining her as Cooper held up his hand to signal that he was all right, though he remained hunched over.

He straightened for Addison, his nose pointing in the air as she looked at it.

"Oh, he'll be fine." Pete said as he slapped him on the back.

"Ow!" Cooper whined.

"Stop being a baby!" Charlotte called out as her laughter died down.

"You come out here and play then!" He called back.

"This was not my idea! I'm fine where I am." Charlotte settled back into her lawn chair, adjusting the blanket as she smirked at Violet and Callie, raising her glass of wine to her lips.

Naomi rubbed his back apologetically as Sam rolled his eyes, tossing the ball into the air and then catching it.

"Are we done? Are we ready to play again?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Cooper answered, his hand back on his nose.

"You know, I could fix that up real good for ya," Mark teased as he took a look.

"What? It's not broken."

"No, but I can still fix up for ya."

"My nose is fine," Cooper said indignantly. "Charlotte! Tell them my nose is fine!"

"His nose is fine! Just like his ass!" Charlotte yelled, eliciting laughter from Violet and Callie.

"Okay, your nose if fine. Can we play now?" Pete asked getting back in his position.

"I'm done." Addison said, tossing her hands in the air.

They all looked after her dumbfounded as she walked off, heading over to the benched ladies.

"Violet, get in there." Addison said, pulling the blanket off of her.

"I don't want to!" she said as she begrudgingly stood.

Addison took her seat as Violet made her way down the sand to join them. The game resumed after a short argument about how unfair the teams were, getting her way when Mark and Cooper switched teams.

"It's so nice to have you back here," Addison said to Callie after a bit.

Callie gave her a wide smile as she took her hand.

"It's nice to be back here."

"You guys look happy. Are you? Are you happy?"

"Yes, we're happy. And excited for this one," she confirmed as she rubbed her belly.

"I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt again."

Callie laughed, "Sometimes I can't believe any of it. I mean if you would have told me when we first met -"

"Yeah, but he's changed. You both have. I'm like a proud mama."

"Barf!" Charlotte gagged as she sipped her wine.

Addison turned her head to her with a scowl. "Sourpuss!"

The game ended after another half an hour. They bickered back and for over having forgotten to keep score. Sam was adamant that his team had won but Mark wouldn't go for it since he was forced to switch sides. Naomi and Violet finally announced that it had been a tie, shutting the men up though pouts where still on their lips. Mark wrapped his hands around both sides of Callie's lawn chair bending down as she leaned her head up to capture his lips.

"Awwww." They all cooed as they watched.

"Jealous," Mark said, his eyes fixed on Callie. "Just good old fashioned jealousy."

She giggled as she wiped lipstick from his mouth.

"I need a shower." Pete said as he finished off his bottle of beer.

"You all do! You're all disgusting." Charlotte said, pushing Cooper away as he went in for a kiss. He kissed her anyway, wiping his sweaty check on hers. "Ew!"

"I guess we'll call it a night then," Sam stated.

Addison, Charlotte and Callie stood from their chairs, heading back with the gang toward Addison's house.

"That was a good game, baby," He said to Naomi as she wrapped her arm around him.

"We actually won, you know that right?" She whispered back to him.

"I know."

"Breakfast tomorrow, anyone?" Addison asked.

"I'll be over," Charlotte answered quickly, followed by everyone else before thanking her for playing hostess.

Mark and Callie settled into the guest room, showered and refreshed. Callie wore a pair of Mark's boxers with an over sized sweat shirt as she leaned back against the bedpost watching as Mark tugged on a pair of sweats.

"It's nice here isn't it? I almost wish we would have stayed." Callie said.

He looked back at her, eye brow raised.

"I said almost."

He gave her a toothy grin, climbing into bed on his belly beside her.

"We'll just have to find ways to visit more," he said with a kiss.

"You know you're team won though, right?"

"I know." Another kiss.

"You were so sexy with that ball." Callie said with a low voice.

"You have such a fascination with me and balls," he said, his heart a flutter.

Callie laughed out, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Don't make me wake Addison," she scolded.

He grinned, shifting to lay on his side, his hand going to Callie's belly. He leaned down, his mouth hovering over it.

"Mommy likes balls," he whispered.

"Mark!" she said with a smack.

He looked up at her.

"It's okay. I like that mommy likes balls."

She shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to hide a grin.

"You know," Mark began, "We can have Addison tell us if this little one will have balls."

"Mark!"

"We should find out."

"Would it matter?"

Mark paused, kissing her belly before scooting up and looking at her.

"No."

Callie smile, her eyes glistening as loved filled them.

"But I would like to stop calling it an it and start calling it Mary or John."

"Mary or John?"

"What? I like those names. They're strong names."

"I will not have a baby named Mary or John."

"What's wrong with Mary or John."

"Nothing, they're just boring and a little too biblical. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Okay, so what are your names?"

"Teo Marcus Sloan if he's a boy."

Mark nodded, letting the name play over and over in his mind. "Teo Marcus Sloan," he said slowly, trying to copy Callie's accent when saying Teo. "I like it. This is my son, Teo. Haha! I like it!"

"Yeah?" Callie laughed. That was easy.

"Yeah. Okay, what's the name for a girl?"

"I haven't worked out the middle name yet," she warned.

"Okay," he said, excited at hearing the name.

She smiled, planting a kiss on him before leaning back to look at him.

"For a girl, I like the name Sofia."

Mark smiled wider, he looked like a little boy with his excited blue eyes looking up at her.

"Sofia Sloan. That's perfect."

"You're perfect." she said, her hand running through his graying hair.

He sat up, one leg going over the other side of her, hovering as his head dipped to kiss her gently.

"We're perfect," he corrected before widening the kiss. "You, me and Teo. We'll be perfect."

"Sofia."

"Hmm? You said it felt like a boy today," he said, his mouth just above hers.

She grinned, her tongue going over her bottom lip. "I change my mind. It feels like a girl now."

"Okay," he said kissing her again. "You, me and Sofia will be perfect."

She nodded, their kiss deepening as she leaned back with him partially on top of her.

"Perfect."

[Thanks for reading! Your reviews have been amazing!]


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